Papua New Guinea's Oro Governor, Garry Juffa, has announced he is standing with West Papuans to fight for their freedom.
Gary Juffa, Governor of Oro Province in Papua New Guinea Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
The governor told PNG FM the PNG government needs to assist the provinces achieve their quest for political independence from Indonesia.
Governor Juffa says the Indonesian government, through its coercive state apparatus, namely the police and army, has treated Papuans brutally - killing more than 700,000 West Papuans since 1965.
He says the United Nations-supported Act of Free Choice in 1969 was not democratic nor representative of the majority of West Papuans.
The vote, by 1,025 men and women selected by the Indonesian military in West Papua, involved asking them to raise their hands or read from prepared scripts in front of United Nations observers.
Governor Juffa says he has prepared a petition to the Secretary General of the UN to look into the matter.
