In 2020,the ULMWP announced a new constitution and government-in-waiting for the Republic of West Papua,with Wenda serving as interim president.[3] His presidency was disputed by some elements of the West Papua National Liberation Army (Indonesian:Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat),claiming his stay in the United Kingdom making his presidency illegitimate. [4]
He was succeeded by Menase Tabuni in September 2023.[5] On November 2023,he was reinstated as President of ULMWP after a congress in Jayapura,starting a leadership dispute with Menase Tabuni.[6][7]
Wenda was born in the Baliem Valley,in the central highlands of Irian Jaya,Indonesia. His date of birth is not exactly known;in his website,he only wrote that he was born in 1970s.[8]
In 1977 there was a rebellion of 15,000 Lani people in response to Indonesian military violence towards Papuans. The Indonesian military retaliated,with aircraft bombing Lani villages in the highlands. Those killed included many of Wenda's family. During the bombing raids,one of Wenda's legs was severely injured leading to impaired growth. Between 1977 and 1983 Benny and his family,along with thousands of other highlanders,lived in hiding in the jungle.[9] He was appointed leader by the elders in his tribe,and later after the Lani people surrendered to the Indonesian military he attended Cenderawasih University in Jayapura,studying Sociology.
Political leadership
Wenda became Secretary-General of Koteka Tribal Assembly (DeMMAK). DeMMAK was established by highland tribal elders with the goal of working towards recognition and protection of the customs,values and beliefs of the tribal people of the West Papuan highlands. It advocates independence from Indonesia,and rejects special autonomy or any other political compromise offered by the Indonesian government. As Secretary-General of Demmak,Wenda represented the council of elders. The organisation supported Papua Presidium Council (PDP) negotiations with Jakarta to the extent that they represented the aspiration of the Papuan peoples,which they claimed was independence from Indonesia.[10]
Imprisonment
Wenda was placed on trial in 2002 for allegedly leading a procession of people in an independence rally. The demonstration turned violent,with Indonesian authorities alleging that those present torched two shops and murdered a policeman.[11] Wenda maintains that his arrest and the charges against him were politically motivated,coming at a time when authorities were clamping down on leaders of the independence movement. This clampdown had led to the assassination a few months earlier of the leading pro-independence figure Theys Eluay.[12] Media reports state that Wenda was facing a 25-year jail sentence if found guilty. He was also allegedly subjected to death threats whilst being held in custody.[10]
Wenda escaped prison while on trial. Helped by West Papua independence activists he fled across the border to neighbouring Papua New Guinea and was later reunited with his wife Maria at a refugee camp. Several months after this he was helped by a European NGO to travel to the UK where he was granted political asylum.[13][14][15]
Interpol
In 2011,the Indonesian Government issued an Interpol red notice seeking Mr Wenda's arrest and extradition. However,after a campaign led by Fair Trials International,in 2012 Interpol removed the red notice after an investigation concluded that the allegations against Mr Wenda were "politically motivated and an abuse of the system" by the Indonesian Government.[16][17][18]
Speaking after Interpol had announced it had removed the red notice from its database,Jago Russell,Fair Trials International's chief executive stated "Interpol should be used to fight serious crime but Indonesia has been misusing it to threaten a peaceful political activist".[18] In an interview with UK national The Daily Telegraph newspaper,Mr Wenda stated that he hoped attention would now "shift to the plight of my people in West Papua,who continue to suffer under an Indonesian regime that denies them almost every basic right that people in the West take for granted."[17]
Free West Papua Campaign
After arriving in the United Kingdom,Benny became the leading spokesperson for the Free West Papua Campaign,which was founded in 2004 by a group of pro-Papuan activists in Oxford. The campaign's stated aims are to spread awareness of the human rights situation and independence aspirations of the people of West Papua,through lobbying governments and developing support throughout civil society. The Free West Papua Campaign movement in the UK has grown to include permanent student groups at British universities and regional groups,as well as permanent offices in Oxford,the Hague and Port Moresby.[10]
In February 2013 Wenda undertook a 'Freedom Tour' to the US,New Zealand,Australia,Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu,with the aim of raising awareness of the self-determination issue.[19] He was blocked from holding a speech at New Zealand national parliament. Opposition parties accused the government of not wanting to upset the Indonesian Government,an important trading partner. Politicians of the Greens,Labour and Mana said the decision went "against the spirit of Parliament".[20]
In April 2013,Wenda was joined by Mohammed Abassi,the Lord Mayor of Oxford and local MP Andrew Smith for the opening of a new headquarters for the Free West Papua Campaign.[21] The opening provoked an angry response from the Indonesian Government,with the British Ambassador to Indonesia being summoned to explain why the UK had allowed the office to open.[22]
In May 2013,Wenda spoke at the Sydney Opera House as part of the TEDx series,getting a standing ovation in front of the audience of 2,500 people.[23] His appearance again provoked an angry response from the Indonesian authorities,with them launching an official complaint with the Australian government within hours of him taking the stage.[24]
With British MP Andrew Smith and Lords peer Richard Harries,Benny Wenda is a founding member of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua. This cross-parliamentary group was launched at the Houses of Parliament in London in October 2008,and was attended by British parliamentarians including Lembit Öpik and Baron Avebury,as well as politicians from Papua New Guinea,Australia and Vanuatu.[25]
The group is actively developing support from politicians around the world,and its overall aim is to assert enough political pressure on the United Nations to implement a re-run of the Act of Free Choice. As well as the UK launch,IPWP has also had launch events in the European Parliament,Scottish Parliament and also Papua New Guinea.
International Lawyers for West Papua
In April 2009,Benny Wenda launched the International Lawyers for West Papua. The launch saw a series of high level meetings held by international lawyers in Guyana in South America. The aim of this group is to develop a framework within the international legal community towards outlining the legal basis for West Papuan self-determination,and the "illegality" of the Indonesian "occupation of West Papua".[26] The launch of International Lawyers for West Papua coincided with Guyana stating their support for West Papuan independence.[27]
In 2019 he was awarded the Freedom of Oxford by Oxford City Council in the UK. Lord Mayor of Oxford Craig Simmons said the accolade was "well-deserved" and Mr Wenda was "contributing so much both locally and on the international stage".[29]
The Lani Singers
Benny and his wife Maria perform traditional West Papuan music as The Lani Singers. In 2008 they released their debut album. Entitled Ninalik Ndawi (Freedom Song),it received reviews in national newspapers including The Guardian and The Observer,and music magazines fRoots,Songlines and The Wire. The group undertook interviews and live sessions on World Routes on BBC Radio 3 and A World in London on BBC Radio London.[30] They have also performed at Musicport Festival,Glastonbury Festival and the Thames Festival in London.
Family life
Benny and Maria met while studying in West Papua,and have been married since 1999. Since being granted political asylum by the British Government they have lived in Oxford with their children.
Documentary
A feature length documentary about Benny Wenda,The Road to Home,was released in 2015. It was awarded the 'Best Documentary' award at the 2016 Amsterdam Film Festival. A feature length documentary called "Please Pray for West Papua" featuring an interview with Benny Wenda was released in 2020 and was official selection at the Lift Off Global Network film festivals in Toronto 2021 and Manchester 2022.
The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization is a name given to an independence movement based on Western New Guinea,seeking secession of the territory currently under Indonesian administration. The territory is currently divided into six Indonesian provinces of Central Papua,Highland Papua,Papua,South Papua,Southwest Papua,and West Papua,also formerly known as Papua,Irian Jaya and West Irian.
The Republic of West Papua,alternatively known as the Federal Republic of West Papua is a quasi-state consisting of the Western New Guinea region,which is currently part of Indonesia on the continent of Oceania. The region has been part of Indonesia since 1 May 1963 under several names in the following order,West Irian,Irian Jaya,and Papua. Today the region comprises six Indonesian provinces:Papua,Central Papua,Highland Papua,South Papua,West Papua,and Southwest Papua.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) is an organization formed from the merger of three political independence movements seeking independence for Western New Guinea from Indonesia. The ULMWP was formed on 7 December 2014 in Vanuatu uniting the Federal Republic of West Papua (NRFPB),the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) and the National Parliament of West Papua (NPWP).
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) is an intergovernmental organization,composed of the four Melanesian states of Fiji,Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands and Vanuatu,and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia. In June 2015,Indonesia was recognized as an associate member.
The Lani Singers are husband and wife,Benny and Maria Wenda. They come from the Baliem Valley in the remote central highland region of West Papua in the south-west Pacific,and play songs that are rooted in the sacred rituals of the Lani tribe. It is claimed that the way of living of those living in this part of West Papua has remained largely unchanged since the Stone Age.
The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) are a cross-party political group of politicians from around the world who support self-determination for the people of the Indonesian region of West Papua.
The Papua conflict is an ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea (Papua) between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement. Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Dutch administration from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962 and implementation of Indonesian administration in 1963,the Free Papua Movement has conducted a low-intensity guerrilla war against Indonesia by targeting its military and police,as well as its civilian population.
Jacob Rumbiak is a West Papuan academic and political leader who has been in self-imposed exile in Australia after escaping from detention as a political prisoner for ten years in Indonesian gaols. Rumbiak is the Foreign Affairs representative of the Federated Republic of West Papua declared at the conclusion of the Third Papuan People's Congress on 19 October 2011. Rumbiak's advice from within West Papua to not attend the Congress for security reasons was vindicated in the crack-down which led to six deaths,hundreds of arrests and the sentencing of five of the principal figures to three years gaol each for treason.
Forgotten Bird of Paradise is a 2009 documentary film directed by British filmmaker Dominic Brown,about the struggle for independence being fought in the Indonesian region of West Papua. The film was shot undercover,and includes interviews with human rights victims and political prisoners,as well as footage of separatist guerrillas at their jungle stronghold.
The Koteka Tribal Assembly is a cultural organisation of the Koteka-wearing tribes of the then Papua province region in Indonesia. It was established in January 2000 as an outcome of discussions among the elders of several tribes in the highlands of the region. The main goal of the assembly is to peacefully,democratically and legally work towards the recognition and protection of customary laws,values and beliefs of the Koteka peoples. Many activists from the organization who were involved in peaceful protests have been tortured and forced into exile.
The National Committee for West Papua is an organization in Papua,Indonesia that campaigns peacefully for a self-determination referendum for Papuans. It was established on 19 November 2008 by a number of Papuan NGOs. The right to self-determination was provided for in an agreement between the Netherlands,Indonesia,and the UN in 1962.
Dominic Brown is an English independent documentary filmmaker,based in London.
Buchtar Tabuni is a Papuan independence activist,Chairman of the National Parliament of West Papua (PNWP),incorporating the National Committee for West Papua,and United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) representative.
Mako Tabuni was a Papua New Guinea activist for Papuan interests,and the deputy chairman of the National Committee for West Papua.
The Road to Home is a 2015 feature-length documentary about Benny Wenda,the West Papuan independence leader and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Since his escape from an Indonesian prison in 2002,where he was held in isolation and tortured as a political prisoner,Benny has been an unceasing crusader on the international scene,campaigning to bring about an end to the suffering of his people at the hands of Indonesia's colonial regime.
The 2019 Papua protests were a series of protests by Papuans in Indonesia that began on 19 August 2019 and mainly took place across Indonesian Papua region in response to the arrests of 43 Papuan students in Surabaya,East Java for alleged disrespect of the Indonesian flag. Many of the protests involved thousands of participants,and some grew from local protests in Surabaya to demanding an independence referendum for the whole region. In several locations,the protests turned into general riots,resulting in the destruction of government buildings in Wamena,Sorong and Jayapura. Clashes between protesters and police resulted in injuries,with over 30 people killed from both the clashes and the rioting.
The West Papua National Liberation Army,officially referred to in Indonesia as the Armed Criminal Group,and after 2021,Separatist Terrorist Group,is a Western New Guinean insurgent group in Indonesia. It is the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement.
Goliath Namaan Tabuni is a Papuan guerilla leader who is commander of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Mostly based around Puncak Jaya Regency,his unit is known for launching attacks and ambushes against Indonesian government units.
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