Thursday, June 19, 2014

Reply from PM's office to AWPA letter below.




Reply from PM's office to AWPA letter below. 






Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction, NSW 2088




The Hon Tony Abbott MP
Prime Minister of Australia
House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600


1 May 2014




Dear Prime Minister,

On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association in Sydney I am writing to
you concerning the issue of West Papua.

A researcher for AWPA, Mr Johnson, has been looking into the tragic history of
West Papua and believes that Australia, as a member of the United Nations is
legally bound to the terms of the Charter of the United Nations including the
obligations in article 76 to promote self-government or independence and other
virtues in trust territories. West New Guinea which we call West Papua became
a trust territory when the General Assembly exercised article 85 of the
Charter by making General Assembly resolution 1752 (XVII). As you are aware
the Republic of Indonesia in 1969 conducted an event which it called an “act
of free choice” which the United Nations did not design or endorse, and the
issue of West New Guinea (West Papua) has not been raised at the General
Assembly since the decision in General Assembly resolution 1752 to commence
United Nations administration of the territory.

In light of ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua, and obligations which
Australia and the United Nations have under articles 76, 85, 87, and 88 of the
Charter of the United Nations which are not being satisfied by the activities
outlined in letters written by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on
behalf of the Attorney General and yourself on 7 April 2014 and 15 April 2014,
we urge you to either raise the issue of West Papua and General Assembly
resolution 1752 (XVII) with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon or
raise this with the Trusteeship Council directly by adding the matter to the
agenda of that Council.

As the Trusteeship Council under General Assembly resolution 171 (II) has been
advised and given authority to ask the International Court of Justice for
advice on matters of law, we urge you to facilitate this by rising the matter
of West Papua and General Assembly resolution 1752 with Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon or the Trusteeship Council. If you believe that Australia and the
United Nations have no obligations towards the territory and people of West
Papua under article 76 of the Charter of the United Nations we ask that you
explain the grounds for that belief.

I look forward to hearing from you on this important matter

Yours sincerely


Joe Collins

AWPA (Sydney)

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