Lord Harries of Pentregarth rose to ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to further the independence of West Papua.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, I am grateful to the Government for allowing time for this short debate and, in particular, to the speakers who put their names down. We all feel some sympathy and admiration for the noble Baroness, Lady Royall, who has had to battle in such an indomitable way for so many hours already, and must now face a fresh subject.

Dear Madam Chair,

Papua indigenous people have been worse condition for years due to our objection of being Indonesian people. Years passing by and we remain to claim our position as Melanesian which lead to anger by Indonesia government and its military.

The issue of the Act of Free Choice in 1969 had become the basic theme of protests of Papua indigenous people,leading in number of cases such as Laskar Jihad and militia forces.

Human rights activists and church organisations predict that, without international attention and intervention, West Papua is in danger of becoming the next East Timor. Recent reports from coastal towns and highland areas in West Papua indicate that Enrico Guterres, one of the architects involved in terror activities in East Timor in 1999, is operating in the region, distributing shipments of guns to local militia. Guterres, indicted by the Indonesian court for crimes against humanity, has remained free while he appeals his sentence and has been operating in West Papua for more than a year.

OXFORD MP Andrew Smith has met a West Papuan tribal leader who fled torture to highlight the oppression of Papuans by Indonesia. Benny Wenda, 29, was held and tortured in 2002 by Indonesian forces - which are occupying the territory - until he escaped with his wife Maria and two young daughters and fled to England. Since resigning from his Cabinet post as Secretary of State for Work & Pensions earlier this year, Mr Smith has agreed to put his political weight behind the Oxford Papuan Rights Campaign.