Reason #14 To Fly A Peace Globe ~ Papua, Western New Guinea
New! Please read this Addendum to Reason #14 about a fellow blogger with personal ties to Indonesia. 
Her peace globe proudly flies here. Desert Songbird who writes The Ice Box....has a story to tell. Click here.
Her peace globe proudly flies here. Desert Songbird who writes The Ice Box....has a story to tell. Click here.
There are more than thirty ongoing violent conflicts waging right now around the globe. The United Nations defines Major Wars as military conflict inflicting 1,000 battlefield deaths per year. Wikipedia expands that definition to include wars that cause destruction and humanitarian crisis of outstanding severity." Ongoing civil wars fueled by racial, ethnic, or religious differences come with a new twist that distinguishes them from wars in previous generations - civilian casualties. During World War I non-combatants made up less than 5% of casualties. Today, the number is a staggering 75% civilians killed or wounded. Less than thirty days from now we will engage in another BlogBlast For Peace. By my research and estimation, there are at LEAST 30 very good reasons to fly a peace globe. To begin your activisim. To increase our awareness of the suffering of others. To talk about peace. To write about peace. To be part of a larger voice for peace. To invoke peace. To pray for peace. To focus on peace.
To wage peace.
Need a reason to fly a peace globe?
Need a reason to fly a peace globe?
Here's Reason #14
The Free Papua Movement
Began 1984
Began 1984
WHERE? New Guinea is an Indonesian island north of Australia and is the world's 2nd largest island. The controversy is mainly in the Bird's Head Peninsula region where traditional ceremonial garb is still worn and is a common practice. It is a densely mountainous region of the world with nearly 1,000 different tribal groups and languages. Stark ethnic divisions exist between the Papuans and the Austronesian people
WHO? The OPM and the Indonesian Army
WHY are they fighting?
The FREE Papua Movement (OPM)is a separatist movement for autonomy and seeks independence for Western New Guinea from Indonesia. In this Indonesian province where militant action h
as occured, it is illegal to even raise the West Papua Morning Star flag and is considered civil disobedience, The punishment is seven to twenty years in prison. It is the core of opposition to the established Indonesian government. The Papuans, whose ancestors first inhabitated Indonesia 40,000 years ago, considered themselves to have no cultural or historical ties with eastern Austronesian Indonesians. In 1984 OPM staged an attack on Jayapura which sparked a 
counter-insurgency by the Indonesian military. This resulted in an exodus of Papuan refugees. In 2003 Papua was declared by the Indonesian government as a separate province. I am appalled by the needless suffering in my world.
If words are powerful, then this matters.
Come on. Join the Revolution.
Copyright © Mimi Lenox. All Rights Reserved.
2 comments:
The infighting in Indonesia is the very reason I am an American today. My parents fled with their children and the clothes on their back. More than 50 years later, the fighting and struggle continues.
Desert - Their story - and yours - is amazing. Thank you, again, for sharing it with my readers. Bless you and them.
Post a Comment