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Third Grand Papua Congress to be held this year

Bintang Papua - August 22, 2011

A national reconciliation team of the West Papuan people consisting of a number of organisations that have been outspoken in their views about the problems of the indigenous Papuan people as well as the policies of the government in Papua have announced that they will be convening the Third Grand Papuan Congress.

Speaking at a press conference at the office of Dewan Adat Papua, DAP,the Papuan Customary Council, Selpius Bobii, chairman of the team, accompanied by Forkorus Yaboisembut., the chairman of DAP, said that they were making preparations to hold the Congress from 16-19 October 2011.

The theme of the Congress will be: "Affirming the basic rights of the indigenous Papuan people for the present and the future". The Congress will to seek to take the Papuan people forward towards turning the Land of Papua into a paradise on earth, such as the Papuan people experienced before coming into contact with outsiders.

As part of the preparations of the Congress, the organising committee plan to meet the Indonesian President. "This meeting is planned in order to officially inform him of plans to hold the Third Papuan People's Congress." The DPRP, the Provincial Papuan Assembly will also attend this meeting, as representatives of the Papuan people.

Selpius stressed that they would be meeting the President only to inform him of their plans. "Whatever attitude the government adopts, the Congress will go ahead," said Forkorus.

The Congress is the most senior body entitled to take decisions for the indigenous people. "All organisations of whatever kind, customary councils, ethnic groups as well as other organisations will be able to present their own agendas."

The KNPB, the National Committee of the Papuan People, said that they plan to bring about changes that take will them forward to a Free Papua – Papua Merdeka.

The committee also urged the Indonesian government to implement the decisions of the grand meeting of the MRP – the Majelis Rakyat Papua – together with the indigenous Papuan people held on 9-10 June 2010 and to implement the pledge of the DPRP with regard to the Special Autonomy Law, involving the communities living in the Land of Papua as well as the provincial, regional and district assemblies.