17th November 2007 updated 26th November 2007

Stroud Mayor welcomes West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda - and will fly West Papua Flag in High Street, Stroud on Saturday 1st December in support of their Independence Day

Photo: Benny Wenda with John Marjoram who spoke passionately about the need to support this cause: in West Papua sentences of 10 and 15 years have been given for peacefully flying the West Papuan independence flag pictured here.

On the afternoon of the 14th November Mayor Marjoram warmly welcomed to Benny Wenda to Stroud. Benny and colleagues from the Free West Papua campaign were in Stroud as speakers at an evening event organised by the Mid Glos Amnesty International group to highlight the situation in West Papua.

Benny, who has been tortured by Indonesian forces and has now sought exile in the UK, spoke movingly to the audience of over 50 people about the current situation in West Papua. Campaigner Richard Samuelson also spoke at the meeting in the Star Anise Arts Cafe where there was also food, a film and live West Papuan music. The latter was even more poignant given Benny's friend in West Papua was killed by Indonesian forces for performing West Papuan independence songs.

Mayor Marjoram who welcomed Benny and friends from the Free West Papua campaign to Stroud later said "I was impressed bytheir human effort to get their message out to the wider world after 45years of oppression when 15% of their people have been killed".

Elinor Croxall, the event organiser, said "Benny is a West Papuan independence leader, he talked emotionally of being imprisoned and tortured by Indonesian forces and that many of his family and friends had been killed. He also spok passionately of his country but with great concern for the exploitation of its resources by Indonesia and multi-nationals".

Richard Samuelson continued, discussing the brutality against West Papuans and the campaign to raise awareness of the country and the situation faced by West Papuans.

Elinor Croxall added: "I hope this event helps to raise awareness about the terrible situation in West Papua - the country has been under Indonesian military occupation for 40 years. As a direct result of this occupation approximately 300,000 people have been killed. There are frequent reports from the country of systematic torture and killings of West Papuans, reminiscent of East Timor. In addition West Papuan land, the second largest rainforest in the world, has been taken by force for mining and now deforestation for vast monocultures. The human rights of West Papuans to self-determination, as recognised internationally (UN Resolution 1514(XV) and the 'New York Agreement' taken note of in UN Resolution 1752 (XVII)), is being ignored by Indonesia, who often mask this with tokenistic and engineered 'consultations'."

Amnesty International has a number of actions for individuals in West Papua held prisoners of conscious and at risk of torture, of which there were details available. Please visit www.amnesty.org for more details.

The evening ended with live West Papuan songs, which if played in West Papua risk arrest or worse, "it was a privilege and a joy to hear and watch these uplifting songs and a perfect end to a moving and inspirational evening" said Elinor.

See photos of the evening:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smelieli/sets/72157603212743127/

There is a vast amount of information on the Free West Papua website:
http://www.freewestpapua.org/

Join Benny and the Free West Papua campaign on the 30th November for the Independence Day Demo at the Indonesian Embassy 12noon-2pm and March for Justice to the offices of BP and Rio Tinto 2pm-3pm. Seewww.freewestpapua.org for further details.

On 1st December 1961 West Papua’s national symbols, the Morning Star flag, the national anthem "Hai Tanahku Papua" [“O My Land Papua”] and the national coat of arms, the Mambruk bird, were officially approved and recognised by the Dutch government.