The Indonesian Government which rules over West Papua does not allow journalists into that region. It is therefore very difficult to see, hear and understand news and reports from West Papua. Papua TV tries to keep you informed on what is happening in that region. Slow motion genocide
You read in the daily newspaper on Syria, Egypt, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. In Indonesia, a slow moti
on genocide has been taking place for more than 40 years, and the media hardly ever reports on the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous inhabitants of West Papua who are Melanesians. Universities in Australia and America have estimated that at least 500,000 people were killed in the 40 years that Indonesia took over the administration of that territory. The Indonesian army carries campaigns against the population almost on a daily basis. In UN terms, this conduct by the Indonesian security forces equates with ethnic cleansing. The regular media fails to raise the issue
Here in the Netherlands, even if there is a demonstration or a meeting on the issue, the regular media does not give any attention to it. It is our aim to fill the gap that is left open by the Dutch journalists who do not, or rarely, report about this former colony. Compared to other territories such as Indonesia and Suriname, the coverage of West Papua is very superficial, and you hardly ever hear about the gross human rights violations and misconduct by the Indonesian authorities.
Mission
Our objective is to inform the Dutch public about West Papua. The Netherlands have a special connection with this part of the world. West Papua was a Dutch territory. The Dutch never violated the Papuan people. The massive and severe violence began only on the day that Indonesia took over the territory. Therefore, the Dutch are still very much liked by the Papuans. However, in how far is this feeling reciprocated? It appears that as soon as the Netherlands left the territory, they also decided to dismiss it completely and to forget about the people and the situation in West Papua. Our Dutch channel, TV Papua, tries to make clear that to the Dutch audience that they can do a lot for the Papuans.
