An Australian academic says West Papuans have been subject to a slow-motion genocide and the United Nations has a duty to investigate.
Jim Elmslie, of the University of Sydney's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, is the co-author of a just-released report titled A Slow-Motion Genocide - Indonesian Rule in West Papua.
Dr Elmslie says the report concludes the Indonesian Government has intentionally carried out genocidal policies for the past 50 years.
Under the United Nations Genocide Convention, the classification of an act as genocide requires proven intent.
Jim Elmslie says the report uses the term slow-motion because thousands of West Papuans have been killed over decades rather than in a large-scale event over a short period.
"We believe that a slow-motion genocide is and has been occurring in West Papua. It is a very deep-seated and difficult problem for everybody involved, including Indonesia, and it's a problem that needs a lot more attention because it's festering away, getting worse, and the Papuans are suffering."
Jim Elmslie says parties to the Genocide Convention have a responsibility to look into genocide claims.
