From 9.00am Wednesday 31st January 2007
PLEASE JOIN US!
This will be the most significant UK/Indonesia meeting in London since former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri met Tony Blair in Downing Street in June 2002.
The meeting arises from the agreement to set up a UK/Indonesia Partnership Forum made during Tony Blair's visit to Indonesia last year. The Indonesian foreign, finance, defence, trade & environment ministers have all been invited.
As part of the meeting, the Foreign Secretary will be hosting a UK/Indonesia Business Forum lunch to which all of the usual suspects (BP, Rio Tinto, BAE Systems etc) have no doubt been invited.
The Indonesian Ministers' visit is a vital opportunity to get the message back to the Indonesian Government and to UK big business that the issue of West Papua is well and truly on the UK political agenda.
We also need to remind both the Indonesian and British governments of the words of Baroness Royall (UK Government spokesperson) in the House of Lords debate on West Papua on 8th January 2007:
"Papua is in many ways the last blot on Indonesia's global reputation."
We want to do everything we can to make sure that the Ministers will see the Morning Star flag flying proudly in London and hear the cry of “Papua Merdeka!” as loud as possible! We’ll also be handing over messages from Benny Wenda for the Ministers to take back to their President and to the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett.
The FWPC demonstration will be opposite the Foreign & Commonwealth Office /Downing Street (where Richmond Terrace meets Whitehall) from 9.00am next Wednesday, 31 January.
The Foreign Office won't tell us when the Ministers will be arriving, so we'll be starting the demonstration at 9.00am and carrying on until the Indonesian Ministers have been and gone. (We will certainly still be there at lunchtime.)
So, if you've got any time to spare next Wednesday, please JOIN US! West Papua needs your voice!
Papua Merdeka!
Free West Papua!