West Papuans' United Nations Plea for the Bushmen
March 30, 2004
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A West Papuan delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights has made a plea in solidarity with the Gana and Gwi Bushmen and their neighbours the Bakgalagadi, who have been evicted from their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve by the government of Botswana.
The delegate from West Papua, Nicodemus Yomaki, stated before the Commission that, ’the government of Botswana has violated the most fundamental rights of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen and Bakgalagadi, namely the right to collective ownership of their territory and the right to lead the life of their choosing.' He compared these human rights violations to the oppression of West Papuans by the Indonesian government.
The delegation was in Geneva to protest the atrocities and brutal repression being carried out on the Indigenous West Papuan people by the Indonesian government. It called on the Human Rights Commission to investigate after a recent Yale Law School report concluded that there are serious indications that Indonesian activities there may constitute genocide.
To read the United Nations press release click here
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