One of the witnesses to the Biak massacre in West Papua believes the Australian government has a big role to play in the promotion and protection of human rights issues in the troubled Indonesian province.
Dr Eben Kirksey – who is speaking at a function hosted by Southern Cross
University’s Research Centre for Tourism, Leisure and Work today
(Thursday October 18) – holds high hopes West Papua could become an
issue at next year’s federal election.
“Australia has a big role to play in the future of West Papua,” Dr Kirksey said.
“I have met with Jane Prentice, the federal MP for Ryan, who is also a
member of the Parliamentarians for West Papua. There are 10 MPs who are
members of this organisation in Australia and they are working on the
issue of West Papua.
“It seems at the moment the Labor platform is based on strong
relationships with Indonesia but the citizens of Australia elect the
officials and I think many Australians believe Australia could play a
similar role to what they did in East Timor. After all, the conflict is
on their doorstep.”
West Papua came under Indonesian Administration in 1963 following the
withdrawal of the Dutch and its population has never had the right to
vote for self-determination.
Dr Kirksey’s recently released book Freedom in Entangled Worlds: West
Papua and the Architecture of Global Power, details the 35-year-old’s
spine-tingling experience of his visits to West Papua. The book is
published by Duke University Press. It explains how he was caught up in
the massacre at Biak on his way to an anthropological site via ferry in
July 1998.
“The harbour was occupied by protesters who were flying the Morning Star
flag, which is the flag of independence. There was an intense feeling
and a sense of expectation because it was the first time they had flown
the flag in 40 years and they had high hopes that a delegation from the
United Nations may visit or that some journalists may cover the story,”
he said.
“I became trapped on the island because my connecting ferry didn’t come
into the harbour because of the protests so I booked into a hotel. Three
days later the Indonesian military, along with the police, started
massacring people. I heard from the hotel many gunshots and I saw one
guy, who hid behind a building next to the hotel, led out and then a
single report when he was shot. I eventually did my Masters at Oxford
University and I returned to West Papua to figure out what exactly
happened.”
According to Dr Kirksey, Indonesian authorities shot and killed as many
as 50 protesters and then loaded the survivors, estimated at more than
100, onto boats which eventually dumped them at sea.
“One group I spoke to estimated there was 157 people loaded on the
ships. What is known is that 32 bodies were washed up on the shore a few
weeks later. The Indonesian authorities said the bodies were as a
result of a tsunami that occurred 1000km away,” he said.
Forced by his conscience to bear witness to the Biak massacre – he has
testified before the US Congress and spoken to officials in the White
House – Dr Kirksey is now committed to advocacy work on behalf of
independence seekers. He has since relocated from his native United
States to work at the University of NSW.
Dr Kirksey will speak from 5pm to 6pm at Café IRA, Gold Coast Highway, Tugun, on Thursday October 18.
Dr Kirksey’s lecture continues the program of research by the Research
Centre of Tourism, Leisure and Work under the area of Dynamics of Civil
Engagement. Through its research, the Centre is forging links and
focusing on issues throughout the Asia-Pacific region. A number of
experts on West Papua, as well as Burma, have previously lectured or
studied at the University.
Photo: Dr Eben Kirksey, right.
Media contact: Steve Spinks, media officer, Southern Cross University Gold Coast and Tweed Heads, 07 5589 3024 or 0417 288 794.