In the aftermath of UNHCR assignment in PNG on refugees fleeing Indonesian control of West Papua the PNG government granted permissive residence to thousands of 'terrorists', border crossers, and 'trouble - makers' from across the border. Later, K10,000 fee for those who chose citizenship in the country was waived so the option was on the table for all.
PNG could do much more for West Papua. It is a Christian country. US President Ronald Reagan stood on the West German side of the Bundaberg Wall and called for the wall and iron curtain to be torn down.
USSR President Mickail Gorbachev heard. The Cold War already ended. A nation was divided. Germany was united. Christian heritage that issued from Europe could better deliver a conclusion to the decades of uncertainty and unrest in West Papua since 1960s.
The demand for freedom from Indonesian colonial control is an international issue. It is also a Christian hope. The Blessed Hope. West Papua is a Christian country due to a past history under Dutch colonial tutelage.
Pope Francis has only to say a few words. Germany was united following the collapse of the iron curtain. For New Guinea, the critical threshold escapes definition by the international community.
The world's top moral leader visited Vanimo. Here, refugees from West Papua also integrated into the community because of the permissive residency status granted by the government.
It is a tough call to make. Pope Francis knows. West Papuan refugees had the only chance to tell him. The plight of West Papua as a refugee nation is about Christianity.
We thank Pope Francis for visiting Vanimo. The international community response to West Papua can begin with the refugee issue. But, there is a theological basis for self - determination.
May God Bless West Papua.
{Photo caption: writer, refugee settlement, forest of Vanimo)
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