Lobbyist: Chance for West Papua to be heard

Papuan photo lish

PORT VILA - A Vanuatu-based lobbyist who has pushed for West Papua to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group for many years says next week's participation at the MSG meeting in Noumea, is a chance to finally be heard.

The summit's hosts, New Caledonia's pro-independent FLNKS Movement, extended the first ever official invitation to West Papua to attend an MSG summit as an independent entity.

In Noumea, MSG leaders are expected to decide on a formal membership bid by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation.

A spokesman for the coalition, Andy Ayamiseba, says they've been given time at the summit to deliver a statement putting forward a case for formal membership, while Indonesia only has observer status.

"So it's quite different with Indonesia who held the status as an observer so they are only spectators, they don't have the right to talk and they don't have the right to vote. We were invited to deliver a speech so it means we can talk."