Maire Leadbeater – Sadly, however, it has taken the devastating hostage ordeal of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens to focus our attention on this hidden conflict in our region.
The hostage-taking occurred in the remote mountainous region of Nduga, an area which has been a war zone since late 2018.
The military escalation has much to do with resource exploitation on a grand scale. Construction of the Trans Papua Highway is well under way, stretching across the highlands from Sorong in the west to south-eastern Merauke.
Its purpose is to link the capital Jayapura with the hugely lucrative Freeport McMoran mine complex, gas-rich Bintuni Bay, and monoculture food estate project which threaten peatlands and pristine rainforest.
The people of Nduga, subsistence farmers, have been displaced in their tens of thousands and more than 400 have died from conflict related causes. Few receive any government help.
Villages have been bombed and strafed as the military and police conduct indiscriminate retaliatory raids, so it isn't safe to return home.
In 1961, West Papua was on a clear path to independence from Dutch colonial control – a legislative assembly had been set up and on December 1, the new national Morning Star flag was raised for the first time.
Then, without any consultation, Papuans were traded off to Indonesia. The United States brokered the 1962 deal – the so-called New York agreement – between the Netherlands as the then-colonial power and Indonesia.
After a 7-month period of UN administration, Indonesia took control of the territory. The agreement stipulated an "act of free choice" – but when this eventually took place in 1969 it was a cruel farce involving only 1022 press-ganged participants.
Since then the indigenous population has been marginalised culturally and economically by a relentless inward flow of migrants from other parts of Indonesia.
Papuans have no agency over their rich resources – gold, copper and timber – and the poverty and HIV/Aids figures rank above other parts of Indonesia.
In the towns and cities a peaceful resistance movement has taken strong root. A key demand is the right to hold a new fair referendum on the political status of the territory.
The Indonesian government regards this as "separatism" and security forces clamp down hard on peaceful demonstrations, and even on seminars and prayer meetings if they decide that a banned topic is being discussed.
Victor Yeimo, the charismatic leader of the youthful West Papua National Committee, is on trial for treason for taking part in peaceful anti-racism protests.
New Zealand's record is one of consistent betrayal. Our ambassador was present at two of the assemblies that made up the "act of free/no choice", and reported on the "questionable morality of the whole process" and of a people "heavily coerced". However, New Zealand voted at the United Nations to endorse this outcome.
Since then, successive governments have prioritised the bilateral relationship with Indonesia and clung to the mantra that Indonesia has the right to protect its "territorial integrity". This despite a Papuan death toll that commentators refer to as a "slow genocide".
The United States, closely followed by New Zealand, broke off defence ties with Indonesia in 1999, at a time when the Indonesian military unleashed a storm of destruction and deadly violence in East Timor.
The new nation of Timor Leste gained its freedom, but the generals and commanders responsible for this deadly mayhem were never held to account.
The United States restored defence ties with Indonesia in 2005, New Zealand in 2007.
Selected Indonesian officers, of major-equivalent and higher rank, regularly attend the six-month New Zealand Defence Force Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC).
Indonesian officers are also invited to New Zealand to attend bilateral defence talks, workshops, and meetings.
English language training is offered when Indonesian officers attend the ACSC.
New Zealand officers visit Indonesia to take part in study tours, conferences, and ceremonies.
These military links undermine New Zealand's human rights advocacy for West Papua which usually takes the form of "quiet diplomacy".
Access to West Papua is severely limited for humanitarian workers and journalists, and local journalists who dare to uphold Papuan rights face harassment.
Our government backs the call for the UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit but doesn't press the issue.
Papuan church leaders including the late Father Neles Tebay and Rev Socratez Yoman have asked for New Zealand to act as a mediator and remind us that New Zealand played a positive role in resolving the conflict in Bougainville. It isn't too late to heed these calls.
Of course New Zealand's failings don't justify the kidnapping of our national Philip Mehrtens, or anyone else for that matter. My hope is that every effort is being made to find go-betweens who can help to resolve Philip's ordeal.
[Maire Leadbeater is a member of West Papua Action Tamaki Makaurau and author of the book, See No Evil: New Zealand's Betrayal of the People of West Papua.]