ETAN’s February 2014 edition of PERSPECTIVE examines the decision of the Melanesian states, minus Vanuatu, to endorse Jakarta’s control of West Papua and to forego criticism of its repression there. In UPDATE the report describes continued ” sweeping operations” in the Puncak Jaya region, Papuan criticism of the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s visit to Indonesia, Jakarta’s linking of”Special Autonomy Plus” to repression, and testimony about human rights in West Papua before the European Parliament.
In CHRONICLE, ETAN reports planning for another plantation project in West Papua along the lines of Merauke Integrated Fuel and Energy Estate (MIFEE). A prominent Papuan criticized both the substance and process of “Special Autonomy Plus” planning. Human Rights Watch, in its annual report, notes the continued trampling of rights in West Papua. Noted analyst and activist Noam Chomsky says conditions in West Papua amount to genocide. A report in the Guardian describes a travesty of justice in the prosecution of six Papuans for peaceful dissent.
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