Political Quotes

“my remarks, in sharing these thoughts with my colleagues, I have entitled Indonesia's Human Rights Violations to the People of the West Papua, New Guinea. Mr. Speaker, many of our colleagues are familiar with Indonesia's dismal record of human rights violations in East Timor. The abuses have been well publicized and documented, especially the Dili massacre of 1991, where hundreds of innocent Timorese were killed by government security forces. What has not received much attention, Mr. Speaker, is the tragic story of the people of West Papua, New Guinea, or Irian Jaya, as the people of New Guinea have renamed that province. West Papua, New Guinea, borders the independent nation of Papua, New Guinea, and forms the western half of the world's second largest island. Mr. Speaker, the recent violence by the Indonesian government against the people of West Papua, New Guinea, is nothing new. It is part and parcel of the long history of Indonesia's oppression of the native Melanesian people of West Papua, New Guinea. In 1961, the people of West Papua, New Guinea, with the assistance of Holland and Australia, prepared to declare independence from its Dutch colonial master. This enraged Indonesia, which invaded West Papua, New Guinea, and threatened war with Holland. As a Cold War maneuver to counter Soviet overtures for Indonesia to become a member of the Communist block, the United States intervened in the West Papua, New Guinea, issue.”