The visit of Frederika Korain has opened up prospects for the further development of relationships between New Zealand and the Papuan people of Indonesian-governed West Papua.
Frederika is a former staff member of the SKP (Justice and Peace) office of the Diocese of Jayapura, now studying in Australian National University in Canberra. She has been visiting New Zealand to renew contacts with Pax Christi and Caritas who have been partners with SKP and other agencies in development projects in her country.
During her short visit, she has met with members of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, Te Runanga o te Hahi Katorika, Caritas, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Indonesian Human Rights Committee, Peace Movement Aotearoa and Pax Christi as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and interested members of Parliament.
She also travelled to Dunedin to address students and staff at the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies and has conducted seminars on the current situation in West Papua in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.
In her meetings here, Frederika has stressed the need for the development of solidarity networks with other Pacific people, particularly women, so that her people can survive in the face of intensive development imposed by the government of Indonesia and high levels of migration from other parts of Indonesia.
This has led to the marginalisation of the Papuan people and often heavy-handed treatment extending to human rights abuse at the hands of military and police. She feels that the shared experience of other indigenous people, particularly women, will assist her people in their struggle to maintain their identity and human dignity as they develop new forms of economic and social development.
She has been deeply impressed by the ways in which Maori and Pasifika women have created strong organisational skills to help them preserve and hand on traditional values. She hopes that the contacts she has made will develop into strong networks to return a positive spirit to her own people, particularly the young.
In leaving New Zealand, Frederika hopes that this visit can be followed by further exchanges which will assist in the sharing of cultural values as well as the growth of solidarity among the women of the region.