After a protest through town by young people in Luganville last year the chiefs of West Papua have finally met with chiefs from the Supeinatwitano Council of Chiefs (SCC) and the Luganville Council of Chiefs (LCC). Their meeting was held at the chief's nakamal yesterday. President of Luganville Council of Chiefs, Chief Wycliff Taga told the West Papua delegation they will continue to support the West Papua cause until they are liberated. He said he was grateful for the relationship with West Papua and to provide moral support for their freedom, and welcomed them to Sanma Province in the traditional way.

Chief representative who is also Secretary General for the Koteka Tribal Assembly (KTA), Mr Benny Wender was pleased with the welcome.

He said, "We are now happy to become part of Sanma Province and happy to take our place as Melanesians in your nakamal today,"Mr Wender said.

"We are also happy to hear that Tanna is a place for West Papua and also that all the chiefs are aware of the West Papua issue and now Sanma is joining us to fight for our freedom," he said.
Treasurer for the SCC, Chief Sale Bani said, "It is not easy to be free and become independent."

And he said "it may not be possible to do this through the barrel of a gun but with ideas put together, we can achieve the freedom that we want."

Mr Bani said all must work together to put ideas together to free West Papua. He called for stronger relationships with the chiefs in Vanuatu and West Papua.

However the SCC chiefs have come up with an agreement on the conference resolutions on West Papua and Kanaky by the delegates from PNG, West Papua, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kanaky, Vanuatu, customary chiefs and the people of Tanna as adopted during the 8th Melanesian Trust conference in Tanna recently.

Some of the resolutions adopted were, call for unity among independence movements in West Papua, call for a summit of MSG leaders, chiefs, CSO and churches, and a call for a conference of Melanesian chiefs.

The West Papua delegation will be leaving for Port Vila Tuesday morning˜in time to celebrate the West Papua day on December 1st.

By Eslyn Kaltongga - Vanuatu Daily Post
Posted Monday, November 22, 2004