CONTENTS
This month's PERSPECTIVE is by retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer (and West Papua Report editor) Edmund McWilliams. His analysis assesses the implications of the U.S. government "pivot" to Asia for U.S. policy regarding Indonesia and West Papua. The U.S. re-focus toward Asia and the Pacific involves closer U.S. political, security and economic ties to countries of the region. These enhanced security ties, in particular, will mean diminished U.S. government attention to human rights violations, corruption, and undemocratic behavior by regional militaries the U.S. seeks as "partners," including Indonesia.
In "UPDATE," we note the U.S. government's decision to proceed with the sale of eight Apache helicopters to the Indonesian military. More than 90 NGO's had urged the sale not go forward, due in part the likelihood that it will employed in West Papua. A"freedom flotilla" has left Australia for West Papua. Indonesian officials have threatened to arrest participants. Jakarta may renege on it pledge to invite Foreign Ministers of the Melanesian Spearhead Group nations to visit Jakarta and West Papua. Indonesian security forces have arrested scores of Papuans who sought peacefully to assert their cultural identity.
In this month's "CHRONICLE," we note an open letter by the Australia West Papua Association to the Pacific Islands Forum to take up the issue of West Papua and link to an interview with Benny Wenda carried by Democracy Now!
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| Police surrounding event welcoming Freedom Flotilla in Sorong just prior to arrests of organizers (Photo: NFRPB/WPM sources) |
Link to this issue: http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/2013/1309wpap.htm
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