Mixed reaction to MSG's response to West Papua group

There's been mixed reaction to the Melanesian Spearhead Group's decision on a bid by a West Papuan group to become a member.

There's a mixed reaction to the Melanesian Spearhead Group's response to a membership application by West Papuans. At their recent summit in Port Moresby MSG leaders agreed to work more proactively with Jakarta on addressing development needs of the indigenous Melanesians of Indonesia's Papua region. However the MSG has rejected a formal membership bid by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation.

The coalition lodged its application over a year ago. However the MSG postponed its decision on the application pending a report from an MSG Foreign Ministers fact-finding mission to Indonesia's Papua region in January. Vanuatu boycotted that trip because it felt the mission's programme would not allow the MSG to obtain credible information to fulfill the MSG Leader's mandate, around making a decision on the membership bid. The Foreign Ministers were in Papua province for a matter of hours. One of them, Clay Forau of Solomon Islands, says he came away with a distinct impression of a region developing well.

Read More