Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous and Pacific Peoples

Forty-five Years and Counting: A Reflection on the Many Accomplishments of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

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Victoria Peace Walk-Nuclear Free Pacific by ©Belau-Jurgen Pokrandt

By Art Holbrook with grateful input by Jim Boutilier, PPP’s President Emeritus and Founder of SPPF

Seventy-five years ago in August 1945, the United States Air Force dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those bombs unleashed a race to build ever more destructive weapons. Several nations turned to the vast Pacific Ocean for these tests. However, vast as it is, the Pacific is far from uninhabited.

The United States began post-war tests starting in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands of Micronesia with the residents of the atoll moved to Rongerik Atoll ahead of the first tests. They were left alone there for over a year before an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii found them starving on the barren landscape, and they were moved again. Even today, Marshall Islanders from islands near Bikini have elevated levels of many cancers; the female population has a cervical cancer mortality rate that has been reported to be 60 times higher than comparable mainland U.S. populations.[i] The people of the Marshall Islands have filed many lawsuits in an effort to compensate them for the desecration of their homelands and the damage to their health.

The United States was not alone in nuclear testing in the Pacific. The British, beginning in 1952, tested nuclear weapons in the Gilbert and Ellice Island archipelago which in 1976 became the independent nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Amid mounting protests from Pacific Island nations and anti-nuclear activists from many countries at the increasing evidence of nuclear fallout around the world, atmospheric and underwater testing was forbidden under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Despite this ban, nuclear testing continued. The French conducted aerial nuclear tests on Mururoa and Fangataufa in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia starting in 1966 and underground tests up to 1996.

The remote and seemingly peaceful islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, the three regions that contain so many small island nations of the Pacific Ocean, have remained to this day part of the on-going great power struggle for dominance of the region. With the Japanese pushed out of the islands during World War II, the island nations soon became part of the Cold War as Russia attempted to build influence in Micronesia and later competition between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China as they sought friends and allies in Oceania as each of those nations sought votes in the United Nations. Today, China is active in the region, principally in Polynesia and Melanesia, as they fund major building projects and seek to influence island state governments. Their activity, and their aggressive approach in the region, have generated increasing concern in western capitals.

What does this brief history have to do with the 45th anniversary of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP)? The Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, or the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF) as it was known from 1975 to 2000, was founded in Canada as an adjunct of a U.S.-based organization, the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific whose main goal was to protest the nuclear tests. The U.S. link brought suspicion on SPPF because of the American nuclear testing. Recognizing this challenge to SPPF’s identity and desiring more autonomy, the organization soon broke away from its U.S. parent and became an independent organization.

Even as social justice and environmental issues grew in importance in SPPF’s early years, the foundation remained responsive to military issues. It lobbied against Canadian military participation in naval exercises targeting a Hawaiian island sacred to the indigenous people there. It also became a partner with Pacific Islanders in the Pacific Campaign Against Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles. SPPF’s role in that campaign was to alert global peace committees that, while land-based cruise missiles were being curtailed in Europe, those missiles were making their way to Pacific testing sites.

But the early members of SPPF had a more ambitious agenda on their minds than just military testing. From the beginning SPPF’s vision was clear: to increase awareness among Canadians of development issues in the Pacific Islands, and to attempt to connect knowledge of input-and-response networks with the Pacific Islands. As well, the organization developed efforts to connect knowledge and cultural sharing among Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the Pacific with a goal of building solidarity. And, of course, we needed to develop a membership and funding base to support our activities both in Canada and in the Pacific.

SPPF/PPP’s First Executives, (l to r) Phil Esmonde, Randall Garrison, Stuart Wulff and Margaret Argue.

In the early days, SPPF was fortunate to have substantial funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and took full advantage of those funds to carry out ambitious projects in the South Pacific. However, government funding is a double-edge sword. It gave us the wherewithal to carry out programs but we always had to be sure we were within the guidelines set out by the government of the day. Early boards and directors recognized this challenge and began diversifying PPP’s revenue sources, a fortunate piece of advance planning as CIDA funding dried up in the 1990’s. As Stuart Wulff, former PPP executive director from 1991-2000, said, “In a way, the lost CIDA funding liberated us to follow our vision. PPP is now more engaged directly on the ground.”

What has PPP accomplished in our forty-five years?

Andy Nystrom, PPP’s invaluable archivist and research assistant, has compiled a fascinating selection of 45 projects and events highlighted in back issues of Tok Blong Pasifik, the foundation’s news magazine. These initiatives, ranging from artist exchanges to cyclone relief to HIV/AIDS prevention to youth and programs to combat violence against women, demonstrate PPP’s wide-ranging activities and relevance in the South Pacific. Long-time PPP members may celebrate anew our organization’s rich history while new members can learn what a dynamic and richly-rewarding experience being part of PPP can be. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into our archives; it is our goal to make those archives even more accessible in the future. Here are a couple of samples of what you will find there:

 Vanuatu, We Are With You! (2015)

On March 13, 2015, category 5 Cyclone Pam devastated the southern region of Vanuatu. By virtue of ties that run deep between Victoria, Canada and Vanuatu, the shock of this event quickly became very personal for Victoria, British Columbia residents that have family, friends or colleagues in the region. Reports from the country lent compelling urgency to mobilizing support focusing on this unprecedented natural disaster during which access to safe drinking water, food and housing became an immediate priority.

Vanuatu Member of Parliament, Ralph Regenvanu reported at the time, “The total population of Vanuatu is affected, as the cyclone travelled north to south, with the eye going over Shepherds, Efate, Erromango and Tanna. Cyclone Pam has damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the infrastructure in Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and largest town, and damage to the more remote islands and communities is equally devastating.”

In very short order, Pacific People’s Partnership (PPP) flew into action connecting with Canadian government officials, key organizations and individuals in Canada and in the South Pacific. A hallmark fund-raising event, “Vanuatu, We Are With You!”, did much to raise the disaster’s profile, bringing together PPP’s staunch supporters and many new friends of the organization to raise over $11,000. Half the funds were put towards a shipping container filled with much needed supplies for disaster relief and the remainder for rebuilding of schools and hospitals.

Enterprising West Papuan Women Initiative (2013-2015)

WATINI Indigenous Women’s Collective, Wefiani Village, West Papua.

Enterprising West Papuan Women was funded through Development & Peace, LUSH Canada, and other donors between 2013 and 2015. It was facilitated in partnership with the Manokwari-based Institute for Research, Analysis, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) to support livelihood opportunities for women in West Papua and promote gender equality. Under this program, PPP constructed several women’s cooperative centres within Arowi and Mansinam, both in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua. The centres function as small-scale, co-operative stalls for livelihood development and related skill-building activities such as financial management, strategic planning, proposal writing, and community organizing.

It has been no small feat for PPP just to stay alive for forty-five years … indeed, many NGOs don’t last that long. However, PPP has met many challenges to accomplish that feat. Even more, it has been an achievement to have produced so many significant programs and events for the people of the South Pacific and the Indigenous peoples of Canada in those forty-five years. We look back proudly at our past and with eager anticipation we look forward to what comes next.

I believe it can be said with confidence that PPP has demonstrated its resilience and enduring relevance over the years. We remain Canada’s only non-governmental organizational devoted to the people of the South Pacific and, as such, have a voice of authority that is acknowledged by out federal and provincial governments and by the people of many countries throughout the South Pacific region. In recent years PPP has sent First Nations youth to the islands as part of an expanded mandate that recognizes the historical parallels between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the peoples of the South Pacific as they work to overcome the challenges of their colonial pasts. While the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed some new developments, we are on the cusp of new and exciting programs that will add more chapters to PPP’s legacy as we look to our 50th anniversary.

Canadian Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef, Squamish Council Members and PPP Executive Director April Ingham at a PPP/BCCIC Side Event The Longhouse Dialogues as part of a Women Deliver Conference, June 2019.

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee. Art has been a board member at PPP for the last three years. He has traveled to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and has developed an affinity for the people of the South Pacific island nations.

Pasifik Currents – Spring Edition 2020

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April Ingham and Greta Thunberg in Swedish Lapland

Talofa Lava Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day!  Spring is starting to show itself here on Vancouver Island.  The days are getting longer, blossoms are slowly revealing themselves and a buzz of excitement is in the air as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) grows ever nearer to our 45th Anniversary on April 8!  This is a special time of celebration and reflection for PPP, and we are thrilled to mark this milestone by embarking on a Wayfinding 2020 mission.

With the support of funder Tamalpais Trust, a San Francisco-based organization supporting Indigenous-led projects, PPP will connect with former, current and potential future partners throughout the South Pacific in a deep listening and learning mission. Ironically this mission recently began with a trip to Sápmi Territories (Swedish Lapland, Arctic Circle) where we witnessed Pawanka Fund’s transformative approach to philanthropy through global Indigenous solidarity and self-determination.  This incredible initiative is highlighted in the enclosed article.

Findings and inputs from Wayfinding 2020 will inform PPP’s strategic plans for 2020-2025 to ensure they support South Pacific Islanders’ stated priorities and self determined solutions. It is anticipated this will lead to strengthened partnerships, more impactful programming and the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into an Indigenous led fund.  So, watch for our continued updates on social media and through Pasifik Currents.

These have been busy and productive days here at PPP with lots of exciting programs in the works or just completed.  Want to learn more? Check out our 2018-19 Annual Report and Audited Statements and our recent articles about our activities including the Climate Connect Indigenous Youth Workshop in November 2019, plus check out the touching outcomes of our recent PRF Samoa Campaign as experienced first hand by our President Muavae Va’a in December 2019. You will also see our recent solidarity statement for Wet’suwet’en; and our newest feature Pacific Pulse, a curated and synthesized selection of emergent Pacific news, plus lots of other great updates!

Our Board, Volunteers and small team of Staff are working hard to be of service to the Peoples of the South Pacific.  To this end, we also work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples worldwide alongside many strong allies.  As we near our 45th Anniversary we urge your continued engagement and expanded charitable support of our mandate – Please donate today!  We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with you throughout 2020!

Yours in Solidarity for Peace,

April Ingham

Executive Director

Pacific Peoples Partnership and the Pacific Resilience Fund Help with Samoa Measles Outbreak

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A gift to help the family was made to a mother in her early twenties upon the loss of her baby to measles.

By David Williams, PPP Board member, with Muavae Va’a, PPP President

Photos courtesy of Muavae Va’a.

When Pacific Peoples’ Partnership initiated a special fund to deal with emergent situations, little did we realize how valuable and timely this idea would be.  A tragedy, one brought about by human folly, makes our recent use of this fund particularly poignant.

The Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) arose out of the observation that to fulfill our mandated role properly as the one Canadian NGO linking the peoples of Canada and the island nations of Oceania, we would require the means to respond quickly and appropriately to needs brought about by climate change and other problems. Our goal was for communities to be able to apply directly to the fund to finance small to medium scale initiatives that increase social, cultural and physical resilience.

A grandmother received a financial gift on behalf of her family.

The Samoa measles outbreak was not the first use of the PRF. It had already been used in both Fiji and Vanuatu, but this came very close to home for PPP president Muavae (Mua) Va’a because Samoa is his home country and he has many relations there. Indeed, Mua had already experienced tragedy when he lost seventeen family members in the 2009 tsunami. At that time he also assisted with relief efforts, returning to Samoa from his home on Vancouver Island with volunteers to help rebuild the village of Aleipata.

Measles should be a thing of the past, but instead a tide of propaganda from anti-vaccination zealots combined with some improperly prepared vaccine that killed two small Samoan children to create a tsunami of a different sort. Two nurses had mistakenly tainted the vaccine by mixing it with a muscle relaxant instead of water, according to a story in the newspaper, Samoa Observer.  All this created a climate of fear among Samoan parents that led to many children not being vaccinated. And so the virus took hold.

By October 2019, only 31% of the population had been vaccinated with a single dose. That’s half of what is required to prevent the spread of the disease once it is present in a community. To achieve what is known as “herd immunity”, an immunization of 95% is required for such a highly contagious disease. Samoa had less than one-third the vaccine coverage rate it needed to prevent a disaster. To make matters worse, at the time of the children’s deaths the government halted the measles vaccine campaign for ten months while it investigated. This was against the advice of the World Health Organization.

On November 17th. the government declared a state of emergency. By mid-December 2019, Samoa had 4,819 measles cases and seventy deaths, most of them children under five.

Sadly, what happened in Samoa is part of a global trend. Vaccinations have dropped precipitously while measles has grown exponentially, up to 300% in the last year. War and highly organized anti-vaccination propaganda campaigns are the main causes.

Mua first heard of the outbreak through social media and local newspapers. Hearing of one young couple’s cry for help from Nofoali’i Village following the loss of one child and a plea to protect the rest, Mua knew he had to go. By the time he was ready to leave, his own grand nephew was dead as well.

In the village of Mutiatele, Muavae Va’a brings condolences and a gift to his nephew and his wife upon the loss of their son to measles.

In the village of Mutiatele, Muavae Va’a brings condolences and a gift to his nephew and his wife upon the loss of their son to measles.

PPP immediately began a campaign to build up the PRF with money that we could use to bring aid to stressed Samoan medical practitioners and suffering families. We got a quick and gratifying response.

When Mua arrived in Samoa in January, at least 5,700 people had been infected and the death toll had risen to 83. He quickly sought out allies through our partner organization, the Samoa Social Welfare Fesoasoani Trust (SSWFT) and the churches of this heavily Christian country.  Mua himself is a life-long missionary, impelled to service by his strong faith.

Working through SUNGO, the umbrella organization for NGOs in Samoa, linked to by SSWFT, Mua soon decided his first mission was to the village of Mutiatele where his grand nephew was so recently buried. It was there he heard of other places of great need, so early in the morning of January 8th, along with staff from SSWFT, he began a journey. Exhausting in the overwhelming heat yet satisfying, Mua and his crew met with 12 families in more than ten villages. He recounts how profoundly emotional this was, and so very difficult to listen to the many stories of loss from grieving parents.

In Lalomanu he found good use for the PPP’s Pacific Resilience Fund. The nurses at the small district hospital had for four years been forced to wash all bed linens by hand, a time-consuming and inefficient use of highly trained personnel. Word came back to us in Victoria that a new washing machine and boiler would transform the operation in the hard-hit hospital there. Funds from PPP were soon on their way and Lalomanu village hospital now has a new washing machine, dryer and boiler.

Muavae Va’a (left) and the CEO of SSWFT, Theresa Asiata (right), present the Lalomanu district hospital with a washing machine. Head nurse, Lani, received the gift on behalf of the hospital’s director.

This may seem like a small thing. It is not. Nurses are now relieved of this tedious duty and able to use their skills more appropriately in healing the sick. PPP has left a small but vital legacy that will be long remembered.

Working with many selected partners in South Pacific nations, we understand that it is important to listen carefully at the grass roots level to learn what the needs are. Often, larger NGOs go into small nations and communities with preconceived ideas of what aid should be. At its best this can be merely self-serving. At worst, it can actually do harm, resulting in a series of unanticipated consequences. Our more localized approach, where we don’t assume we know best, brought us this response from one of our Samoan partner organizations:

“ … here in Samoa, so we do have a list of families that their children died from the measles. We are grateful to Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and especially to your President for his kind contribution to our beautiful Samoa. I know for a fact your President understand and know exactly what our people needs so whatever your organization provide will appreciate.”

We all confront death. The certain knowledge of our own mortality is perhaps the tragedy of our species. But different cultures treat it differently. In the West we tend to hide it and allow it little space in our lives. Not so in Samoa. The dead, even small children, are on open display before interment. Many pictures of dead children, perhaps shocking to western eyes, appeared in local media throughout the epidemic. The dead find permanent resting places in plots and tombs in the yards of their families. They are kept close.

The Samoan measles outbreak is now over. Most children and adults have been vaccinated and are safe from this potentially deadly disease. Life lessons have been learned by a new generation that thought they were growing up in a world where this scourge had been eliminated. And Mua is back home on Vancouver Island more determined than ever to work with the staff and board of PPP to build the Pacific Resilience Fund so that we can deliver aid wherever it is needed in the island nations of the Pacific.

Acknowledging the death of her son during the outbreak, a PRF gift was presented to the daughter-in-law of the SSWFT CEO.

According to Mua, young families that have lost beloved children are being torn apart by grief and loss. Sometimes they turn inward and direct their anger at themselves or one another. Hearts are breaking and so are families. Such trauma does not end quickly, if ever, but it is a great encouragement for these families to know that people beyond their borders care about them. Mua says even he knows that his experiences working for these families has caused elements of post traumatic stress disorder in himself.

Canada, to its credit, provided significant aid to Samoa during the emergency, managed through the High Commissioner’s office in New Zealand, where Mario Bot recently departed as High Commissioner.

Late in 2020, the two authors of this report will be travelling to Samoa together. While in Samoa they aim to make solid connections with organizations like SSWFT and SUNGO that were so helpful to Mua and PPP during the emergency, for which they are here thanked. The two men will explore possible appropriate projects for the PRF in villages throughout the islands.

This will also be a journey through time for David. His ancestor, the missionary John Williams, travelled and lived throughout the Pacific two hundred years ago and was settled in Samoa with his family when he died in 1839 on Erromango, Vanuatu. John Williams’ influence throughout Oceania is still much in evidence and Mua feels that this aspect of the next visit to Samoa will be a celebration of sorts. They look forward to reporting back to PPP members upon their return.

Would you like to contribute to the Pacific Resilience Fund? If so, please click on this button to find out more and make a donation.

This article was co-written by Muavae (Mua) Va’a, PPP President and David Williams, PPP Board Member and Chair of Development. PPP would like to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership and compassion that our President Mua demonstrated in response to this terrible tragedy.  He and his family went over and above, donating personally and absorbing many costs towards this campaign.  Inspired by his devotion, a fundraiser will soon be held by members of his Tsawout and Tsartlip Family and Friends on March 30th.  

As a Human Rights Commission Rules on One Papuan Shooting from 2014, Another Occurs as 2020 Begins

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On February 19, 2020, a shooting occurred in Papua. However, sources conflict considerably as to what actually happened. According to Cenderawish command military spokesman Eko Daryanto, there was a shootout between soldiers and separatists and one separatist, Meki Tipagau (age 18) was killed. An unidentified 14-year-old girl was also shot, likely by her own companion. However, a local news website, apparently Suara Papua, identified the victim as Melkias Tipagau (age 12); his principal at SD YPPK Bilogai elementary school, Stefanus Sondegau, hadn’t yet determined if Tipagau was deceased. The same site reported a second fatality, Kayus Sani (aged 51)as well. It also reported that there were two additional people shot, not one: Heletina Sani (aged 30), and an unidentified 11-year-old girl (not 14).

Furthermore, West Papua National Liberation Army (separatist) spokesman Sebby Sambom denies that any of his people were in the area at the time and that the victim (singular) was a civilian. He also claimed that there was no shootout and that “the security forces cracked down on villages.” Sources even conflict as to whether the shooting occurred at Yoparu village (Sugapa District) or at Gulanggama village in Intan Jaya district), and one site suggests it happened a day earlier but was reported on February 19. With so much conflicting information, we will provide an update on our Facebook page as we learn more.

Ironically this shooting occurred within days of Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Konmas HAM) determining that the Indonesian military violated human rights in a 2014 shooting in Papua. In Indonesia’s Bloody Paniai case, or Kasus Paniai Berdarah in Indonesian, the TNI’s Special Battalion 753 Team shot and killed four Papuan students and injured 21 others on December 8, 2014. This was at a protest at the Karel Gobay Field in Madi district, Paniai regency, over alleged beatings of Papuan youth by the army. After demonstrators threw stones at the military office, security forces opened fire on the crowd.

Then recently-elected President Joko Widodo ordered the National Human Rights Commission (Konmas HAM) to investigate. On February 19, 2020 the commission determined that the military had carried out gross violations of human rights. They explained that the delay in arriving at a conclusion was the result of unnamed individuals hiding evidence. Konmas HAM “interviewed two dozen witnesses, analysed documents and visited the scene”.

The commission announced they have forwarded the findings to the Attorney General’s office for possible prosecution and says the soldiers and their superiors should be blamed not only for their deaths but also for the torture of 21 Papuans. The commission’s chief investigator Muhammad Choirul Anam called the shootings “a crime against humanity”. Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko, who was at the time of the incident the commander of the armed forces has counterargued that the shootings were not premeditated and that it was not a violation of human rights. He claimed that the military’s sudden reaction was due to being caught by surprise.

As witnessed by the shooting on February 19, shootings occur with alarming regularity in the region, stemming from Indonesia seizing control of the mineral-rich region in the 1960s. A series of violent outbreaks occurred in the region August-October 2019. We hope that the Konmas HAM conclusion will discourage the latest shooting from starting a new lengthy round of violence towards Papuans.

Sources:

Deadly shooting in Papuan village, RNZ, 19 February 2020

Bedova, Dennis, Indonesian military say Papuan separatist killed in…, Infosurhoy 20 February 2020

Mawel, Benny, At least one killed in Papua gunfight, The Jakarta Post Wed, 19 February 2020

Human Rights Commission: Indonesia’s military found responsible for Paniai deaths, RNZ, 19 February 2020

Gorbiano, Marchio Irfan & Sutrisno, Budi, Palace denies 2014 Papua killings constitute gross human rights violation, The Jakarta Post, 17 February 2020

Indonesia military to blame for 2014 Papua killings: rights commission, Thai PBS World 17 February 2020

Prepared by Andy E. Nystrom, PPP Archivist & Research Assistant

February 19, 2020

 

A Canary in the Coal Mine: Disappearing Islands and Climate Change

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The tiny Micronesian state of Kiribati (pronounced Kirabass) was in the news lately. A recent United Nations human rights committee ruling states that it is unlawful for governments to return people to countries where their lives might be threatened by climate change. The ruling was made after a New Zealand court rejected the claim of a Kiribati citizen who applied for refugee status in New Zealand for himself and his family. He claimed that their lives were at risk due to rising sea levels. While upholding New Zealand’s claim, the UN human rights committee cited projections that rising sea levels won’t make the atolls that comprise Kiribati uninhabitable for 10 to 15 years. They believe that time period should allow the international community to take steps to “protect and, where necessary, relocate [Kiribati’s] population.” (The Guardian, 20 Jan 2020)

The 33 islands and atolls that make up the nation of Kiribati are among the most threatened places on earth.  The atolls are only a few feet above sea level. Already a combination of storm surges and salinization of freshwater aquifers on the islands is challenging inhabitants. Even when storms aren’t threatening to swallow the islands, fresh water is becoming difficult to find. Low lying islands in Hawaii, Japan and the Arctic have already disappeared. (NBC News, 9 June 2019)

Nor is Kiribati alone among the Pacific Nations: the nine islands that comprise Tuvalu are also experiencing threats. (The Guardian, 16 May 2019) As Tuvalu resident Nausaleta Setani, initially not a believer in climate change, has said, “I have been learning the things that are happening are the result of man, especially [from] other countries. It makes me sad.  But I understand other countries do what is best for their people. I am from a small country.  All I want is for the bigger countries to respect us, and think of our lives.”

Former president of Kiribati Anote Tong claims that it is already too late for Kiribati even as the large nations of the world do little or nothing about climate change. (The Washington Post, 24 Oct 2018) According to a University of Texas at Austin update, “Climate Security in Oceania,” (31 Dec 2019), Tong’s ideas have not changed on the subject.

But will the international community respond by allowing the islanders to migrate with dignity? Examples from Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric to Hungary’s efforts to ban immigrants suggest the international community won’t respond with generosity.

Sources

The Guardian, 20 January 2020: “Waiting for the tide to turn: Kiribati’s fight for survival”

NBC News, 9 June 2019: “Three islands disappeared in the past year. Is climate change to blame?”

The Guardian, 16 May 2019:  “One day we will disappear: Tuvalu’s singing islands”

CNN , 20 Jan 2020: “Climate refugees cannot be sent home, United Nations rules in landmark decision”

Washington Post, 24 Oct 2018: “Our island is disappearing but the president refuses to act” 

University of Texas at Austin report, 31 Dec 2019: “Climate Security in Oceania” 

 

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee

 

Statement of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation

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Pacific Peoples Partnership (PPP) stands in solidarity with the people and the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and supports the right to Indigenous self-determination and governance on Wet’suwet’en ancestral territories. For over forty years, PPP has supported the self-determination of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples in their struggles for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

The United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007. Although Canada initially voted against the Declaration, it reversed its position and removed its permanent objector status in 2016. On November 26, 2019, the province of BC unanimously passed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIPA). UNDRIPA states, along with several other articulated rights, that Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands.

We call on the federal and provincial governments of Canada to implement UNDRIP on the unceded lands of the Wet’suwet’en nation. The actions of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the provincial government are not reflective of their stated commitment to the UNDRIPA and we call for the RCMP and Coastal GasLink to leave Wet’suwet’en lands immediately so that free, prior and informed consent can take place. In solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation, PPP calls for the provincial and federal governments to:

  • Respect Indigenous land title and engage in true Nation-to-Nation relationships with Indigenous Peoples, which entails meeting with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leadership;
  • Cease construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project immediately and suspend all permits in accordance with the self-determining authority of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leadership;
  • Implement UNDRIP and recognize the Wet’suwet’en right to self-determination, including the right to free, prior and informed consent;
  • Withdraw the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en lands, in compliance with the December 2019 calls to action of UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s (CERD);
  • Respect Wet’suwet’en laws and governance systems and prohibit the use of any force to access their lands or their people.

We urge the Province of B.C. to change their current course of action and to respect UNDRIP and Wet’suwet’en laws in order to promote free, prior and informed consent on Indigenous lands and waters. Additionally, we recognize the complex political, social, and cultural contexts in which Wet’suwet’en peoples are navigating and strive to be sensitive to these complexities. In doing so, we commit to upholding and prioritizing Indigenous peoples’ self-determining authority, nationhood, laws, and commitments to promoting a healthy, just and sustainable future.

 

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Briefs:

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Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Annual General Meeting on December 10th, 2019.  Join us on International Human Rights Day for our AGM on Tuesday December 10th from 5:30 – 8:30 pm.  Business will take place from 5:30 – 6:30 pm.  Be sure to make your annual donation or membership contribution in advance of the meeting to ensure you are qualified to vote… plus we need and welcome your support always!  Renew for a minimum of $15 here.     For more details RSVP your Ticket HERE

West Papua Task Force Created: PPP and friends have initiated a task force to respond to escalating violence and human rights violations in the region. If you are interested to get involved and learn more, check out our recent Call for Action

PPP Puts out a Canadian Call for Action on Violence in West Papua

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Papuan protesters laying prone under guard.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Media Release – Victoria, BC, October 7, 2019.

As Indonesian state violence mounts against protesters in West Papua, concerned Canadians are calling for pressure on the Indonesian government to halt repression and take steps against racism in the Pacific island territory.

West Papua was slated for independence until Indonesia took over in the 1960s and annexed it. Independence protests continue in this island, home to some of the world’s largest remaining rain forests and richest biological and cultural diversity.

In recent months, Indonesia’s treatment of West Papuans has deteriorated to the worst it has been in the last two decades, sparked by racist attacks on Papuans who have been called “monkeys”. In late September, at least 27 Papuans were killed by Indonesian government forces in response to West Papuans calling for their rights and at least 70 people have been injured. The Indonesian government has deployed over 1,000 security personnel to West Papua, cut internet access and banned journalists and human rights organizations from entering the area. Scores of peaceful protesters have been arrested. More than 22 are facing prosecution for Makar (treason) for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.  They are considered ‘prisoners of conscience’ by Amnesty International.

“International pressure needs to be applied against Indonesia now to safeguard the lives and rights of West Papuans,” said April Ingham, Executive Director of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, a Victoria-based advocacy organization with more than 40 years of experience working for human rights and the environment in Canada and the South Pacific. “Canada, which claims a strong tradition as an advocate of human rights, should take a stand in support of West Papuans and pressure the Indonesian government to allow for freedom of expression, association and assembly and the right of self-determination for West Papuan peoples.”

Recommendations:

  • Pressure the Indonesian government to allow for freedom of expression, association and assembly and the right to self-determination for West Papuans;
  • Pressure the Indonesian government to immediately release the 22 prisoners’ of conscience and drop the Makar charges;
  • Pressure the Indonesian government to allow for access to West Papua for journalists and human rights organizations, and
  • Pressure the Indonesian government to investigate military and police engaging in human rights abuses.

For more information Contact:

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

#407 620 View St., Victoria BC, V8W 1J6, Canada / 250-381-4131 director@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org  archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

Post Note: PPP has sent letters to MP Freeland and other Canadian Government leaders concerning the escalating violence in West Papua urging our intervention.

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West Papua Backgrounder

Indonesia maintains control over West Papua, using military might to silence demands for self-determination and denying the Indigenous people their fundamental human rights. Since its invasion in 1963, an estimated 100,000 Papuans (about 15% of the population) have been killed by Indonesian armed forces and militias.

In 2019, West Papua burst back into the headlines after Indonesians in Surabaya attacked and called Papuan students “monkeys”. A wave of anti-racist protest erupted and revived independence sentiments throughout West Papua. The Indonesian army has escalated its repressive measures in response. Racism, rights, resources and rainforests intersect in this complex conflict.

Where is it? West Papua, located to the north of Australia, is blanketed with tropical rainforests. These are rich in biodiversity and represent the largest remaining untouched rainforests in Asia. But more than three quarters of the 40 million hectares of forest have been designated for logging or mining. Resource revenues support continued military oppression.

A History of Betrayal

1945- The Dutch East Indies, excluding Papua, becomes the Republic of Indonesia. 1961– Papuans celebrate their “Independence Day” by raising the Morning Star flag. 1963– Indonesian troops take over Papua. 1969– Indonesia holds a “popular consultation” over Papua’s future. 1,000 representatives are forced to vote openly in front of armed soldiers, and told they would be shot unless the vote supported integration with Indonesia. 2001– An autonomy deal grants Papua increased control of its resources and the freedom to express its cultural identity. 2003– The Indonesian army begins a campaign of terror in the highlands, burning villages and torturing detainees. Indonesia bans all foreign journalists in Papua. 2005– After the Government of Indonesia fails to implement the autonomy agreement, the People’s Assembly of Papua formally returns it to Jakarta demanding a real solution be negotiated. 2014– At a meeting in Vanuatu, Papuan independence groups unite to form the United Liberation Movement of West Papua and start to gain support from Pacific Island states. 2019– Racial tensions flare into the open and the largest pro-independence protests to date are met with force and arrests of activists.

50 Years of Racism

The Indigenous peoples of West Papua are Melanesians, related to the people of Papua New Guinea and many Pacific island countries. Their independence claims have often rested on being a Pacific, not an Indonesian, people. Papuans have been victims of racism and other forms of discrimination for more than half a century, and dismissed as “Stone Age” peoples who are “ignorant” and need to be “civilized.” Racism is the daily lived reality for many Papuans. In 2019, Papuan students continue their demand for racism to end.

Human Rights Abuses and Injustice

  • The Indonesian government has relocated thousands of Indonesians to Papua through the “transmigration” program, initially supported by the World Bank and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Over 40% of Papua’s two million people are settlers from Indonesia. West Papua’s Indigenous cultures and 274 distinct languages are at risk.
  • Indonesian security forces regularly use torture, extra-judicial killings and forced detention to block Papuans from protecting their lands and expressing their right to self-determination.
  • Human rights defenders and community leaders are routinely harassed, and intimidated or murdered.
  • Despite ample evidence of atrocities, only once has a military official been charged for human rights violations committed against Papuan people.
  • Papuan women are often sexually assaulted by the military and are denied access to health services, resulting in Papua having the highest HIV rates in Indonesia.
  • The territory is mostly closed to outsiders, and in 2019 the government shut down the Internet. The UN Commissioner for Human Rights is the most recent to express concern.

Environmental Destruction

West Papua is home to some of the largest remaining rainforest in Southeast Asia. It is rich in natural resources including natural gas, oil and minerals. The military is directly involved, engaging in illegal logging and acting as security for mining companies. Papua is home to the highest concentration of illegal logging operations in Asia.

Widespread logging and mining have had a serious impact on the livelihood and traditions of the Papuan people who rely on the land for survival. Traditional land is continually being cleared, creating conflict among Indigenous people, foreign companies and Indonesian security forces. Forest is being cleared to make way for mono-crop agriculture in an effort to gain environmental certification, without regard to Indigenous peoples or the negative effect on old-growth forests.

Take Action

Write to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland to ask her to put pressure on the Indonesian government to stop the killings, torture and arrests, and support freedom of choice in West Papua. 125 Sussex Drive (no stamp necessary), Ottawa ON, K1A 0A6, Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca

Join a Canadian based working committee to learn more about this ongoing human rights crisis and get involved in advocacy and solutions based responses.  Email:info@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

Donate to, or get involved with the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, the main Canadian organization working on Papuan Indigenous rights. https://archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

 About Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

For over forty four years, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supported the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

Based on Lekwungen territories in Victoria BC, Canada, we are Canada’s only non-profit organization and registered charity focused specifically on the island nations of the South Pacific.

archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

 

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