Pacific / Papua New Guinea

Freedom campaigner says West Papua is a regional issue

15:03 pm on 7 September 2015

Pacific leaders gather this week in Papua New Guinea for their annual summit West Papuan leader and freedom campaigner Octo Mote says the support for West Papua has never been stronger.

This is despite his being thrown out of the Pacific Island Development Forum in Fiji just last week.

Mr Mote says thanks to social media West Papua's cry for freedom is now being heard across the region and Pacific leaders are finding it harder and harder to ignore.

Octo Mote left New Zealand today for the Pacific Forum summit in Port Moresby where he says they will be pushing three main issues.

"One is our membership at the PIF. Secondly we are asking UN Secretary General to appoint special envoy and conduct a human rights assessment besides the human rights assessment by the forum leaders themselves. And then the relisting of West Papua back to the decolonisation committee."

The Secretary-General of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Octo Mote. Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins