WEST PAPUA WORTHS MORE THAN ALL THE GOLD ON EARTH

Blast, an independent French media, highlighted the struggle of West Papuans against Indonesian occupation since 1963.

This is very unusual considering that most of the French mainstream media prefers to ignore this grave humanitarian issue and instead speaks optimistically about Indonesia, whose geo-strategic position and large population are promising for the global market economy.

Boon and curse for West Papuans

This short ten minute video summarizes well the main reason behind the conflict that has been going on for six decades, namely gold. Indeed, this most precious metal is both the blessing and the curse that befell the Melanesian people who have lived for more than fifty thousand years in the western half of the New Guinea island. 

Its mineral deposit reserves, which reach almost 3 billion tons, have made West Papua a paradise for giant multinational companies and Indonesian oligarchs, whereas ongoing genocide and ecocide may result in the people of West Papua becoming extinct before their gold runs out. According to independent research conducted by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) last year, the percentage of natives in West Papua is already below 40 percent!

An issue that escapes media attention

The humanitarian tragedy in West Papua is not as popular as the cases of Palestine and Ukraine. Yet, the impact is no less terrible where it is estimated that 500,000 West Papuan lives have been lost. Even though it is not covered by mainstream media, there is actually a lot of information that we can get just by browsing Google.

Since 2018, armed conflict has spread in a number of inland areas of West Papua, resulting in the displacement of more than 75,000 people, the majority of whom are native West Papuans. On the border of Papua New Guinea, an independent country, there are more than 12,000 people. They live in extreme poverty, are stateless, and are not recognized as refugees.

Tell the world about West Papua

More than ever, West Papua needs your help. Talking about West Papua to the people around you means already a lot. Since the first day of the Indonesian military occupation, 61 years ago, the people of West Papua have never stopped resisting. It's time for the world to support them. 

One of the West Papuans I know once said loudly: "The struggle of the West Papuan people is not to reclaim mountains of gold stolen by Indonesia. Before it became a political revendication, this was a struggle for the survival of the Melanesian people in their ancestral land. Indeed, West Papuans' lives matter more than all the gold on earth!"