Special Advice r to the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation, Barak Sope, was applauded when he was introduced to the West Papua Unification Meeting devotion in the Chiefs Nakamal yesterday morning.
Vanuatu Daily Post – By Len Garae Dec 5, 2014
The Head of the Pacific Conference of Churches Delegation Pastor Francois, and the Chairman of the West Papua Unification Organising Committee, Pastor Allan Nafuki both welcomed his presence saying it is vital for the spirit of the Meeting.
Sope who sat throughout the morning devotion, which ended at 12.30pm said as he was leaving, that what is happening in Port Vila now is a living example for other Governments to consider doing to support the people of West Papua.
“Vanuatu has dared to take the stand to support the struggle of the people of West Papau because no other country in the world has made such a humanitarian offer to the West Papuans,” he said.
At the beginning it was Sope who brought the Black Brothers Band to Vanuatu who used to perform to fundraise for the Vanuaaku Pati while at the same time, doing public awareness through its music about the West Papua struggle for freedom.
The first time that the ni Vanuatu public realised just how serious the struggle was when a member of the band assaulted an Indonesian tourist outside the Fung Kuei shop when a tourist liner was in port.
Sope has been close to the West Papua struggle throughout his adult life and even adopted Andy Ayamiseba into his family as his brother.
Ayamiseba is the West Papua Head of Mission in Vanuatu, who is currently recovering at Vila Central Hospital following the amputation of his right leg due to non communicable disease.
In the latest development, former Prime Minister and present Leader of Opposition Moana Carcasses also joined the devotion and stayed for approximately 15 minutes.
It was Carcasses when he was Prime Minister that he delivered a highly powerful address at a UN special committee in Geneva on March 6 of this year, against the reports of human rights abuse allegedly caused by the Indonesian military on West Papuans.
His address rocked the superpowers and reverberated round the world.