West Papua leader Ondawame dies
The West Papuan pro-independence leader John Otto Ondawame has died after suffering a heart attack in the Vanuatu capital.
Dr Ondawame, who hails from the Amungme
tribe in Mimika regency in Indonesia’s Papua province, was the
vice-chairman of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation.
Johnny Blades reports:
“John Ondawame had lived in Port Vila
for many years, having earlier fled Indonesia and initially being
granted asylum by Sweden in 1979. In the early years after West Papua’s
incorporation into Indonesia in 1969, Dr Ondawame emerged as a leader of
the OPM Free West Papua Movement, organising guerrilla and political
campaigns from the jungle. After obtaining a PhD in political science
from the Australian National University in 2000, Dr Ondawame devoted his
time to lobbying for peace in West Papua and independence for his
people. In recent years he has been centrally involved in an ongoing bid
for West Papuan membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group. He had
reportedly been unwell for months, including complications from
diabetes. John Ondawame was in his late 50s and is survived by his wife
and son.”
Dr John Ondawame
Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
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