Statement of Benny Wenda on West Papua Independence

United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP).

I would like to wish a Happy New Year to all our solidarity supporters around the world and to our diplomatic friends in Vanuatu, the OACPS, the PIF and elsewhere. As we continue to fight for justice and freedom this year, you help give us the strength to carry on our struggle.

We are starting 2022 with the announcement of our new ULMWP Provisional Government offices around the globe. The headquarters will be based inside West Papua, and the international office in Port Vila. We are opening a government branch in Port Moresby, and our diplomatic coordination offices will be based in the UK and Europe.

This is another step in our long road to reclaiming the sovereignty stolen from us by Indonesia in 1963. With the formation of our constitution, Provisional Government, cabinet and Green State Vision, all Indonesian laws in West Papua are over. The Indonesian presence is totally illegal, and totally redundant. With our clandestine government departments operating within our borders, all West Papuans and Indonesian migrants working under our jurisdiction are now governed by the ULMWP.

The West Papua military wing and any organisation affiliated to the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation, the West Papua National Parliament, or the Federal Republic of West Papua – the three constituent organisations within the ULMWP – are automatically considered part of the Provisional Government. Everyone must respect our constitution, whether you are inside West Papua or part of our international solidarity networks. The world must trust us and our constitution – we want peace for all in the region and internationally, and to democratically govern ourselves.

I encourage all NGOs, churches and religious leaders, every West Papuan inside and in exile, to unite and pray for the Provisional Government. Support everyone within the government working to end our long suffering and complete our 60 year struggle.

Our demands to the Indonesian President in 2022 remain those first issued during the West Papua Uprising in 2019:

• Hold a referendum on West Papuan independence.
• Allow international supervision of any referendum.
• Allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into West Papua in accordance with the demand of 84 UN member states.
• Withdraw all troops from West Papua, including the 21,000 additional troops deployed since December 2018, and end the Indonesian military’s illegal war.
• Release all political prisoners, including Victor Yeimo and the ‘Abepura Eight’.
• Allow all international journalists and human rights, humanitarian and monitoring groups into West Papua to visit internally-displaced people in Nduga, Puncak, Intan Jaya, Oksibil, Maybrat and elsewhere.

In 2022, we will redouble all efforts in our long struggle for the liberation of our nation. We will peacefully bring an end to this bloodshed.

God bless you all.

Benny Wenda
Interim President
ULMWP Provisional Government