anglican focus

The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

First people of West Papua

West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda (seated far left) met with Parliamentarians in the European Union office in Brussels on 12 May 2022. The matter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights visiting West Papua was discussed at the meeting (Image courtesy of the Free West Papua Facebook page)
Features

“I want Australian Anglicans to know about West Papua”

“Human rights abuses of West Papuans by the Indonesian Government have gone on for so long that many people who were born since the Indonesian takeover are now grandparents. That’s why West Papuan Australians like me need to speak up in support of the Pacific Elders and others who stand up for the rights of my people to live in peace, freedom and safety,” says a former West Papuan refugee

Features

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you”

“While we were on the island building the canoe we prayed and fasted in preparation for the journey, so we were spiritually and mentally ready. We knew that if we were caught by the Indonesian military that we would be tortured or killed. We also knew that we would likely have to contend with cyclones, pirates, sharks, thirst and hunger,” says a former refugee from West Papua

Features

West Papuans: the right to freedom

“In my six visits to West Papua since 2015, I have certainly sensed the fear that naturally comes when acts of unbelievable brutality are perpetrated against the West Papuan community…However, I have also seen and experienced the indomitable hope for freedom and justice welling up in the hearts of Papuans when I have spent time with them,” says Peter Arndt