Day of the Broken Promise

August 26, 2009

Free Papua Independence leader Benny Wenda  along with a  a number of other Papuan’s protested outside the Dutch embassy in the UK on August 14 against the’ day of broken promises’ (15 August 1962).

The ‘Day of Broken promises’ marks the day that the Dutch signed the New York agreement handing over West Papua to Indonesian colony, despite having previously promised West Papua independence.

“The Indonesian army moved in on 1 May 1963 and began a programme of repression and human rights abuse against the people. In 1969 they rounded up and detained just over a thousand West Papuans as representatives of the people and ensured that they voted for rule by Indonesia by threats, including at least in some cases that they and their families would be killed unless they did so…Since then there have been many reports of repression by Indonesia in the country, including murder, political assassinations, torture, rapes, disappearances and bombing. The government also had a programme of resettling migrants from Indonesia in the country, apparently aimed at producing an Indonesian majority population.”

Peter Marshall of Indymedia Uk covered the protests of a number of Papuan’s outside the Dutch embassy in London. Read his Article