There was a shooting in West Papua earlier this month which left one dead and 16 wounded. This was carried out by security forces. Human rights abuses like that have been ongoing and violence seems endemic to West Papua under Indonesian rule. The New Zealand Government is refusing to condemn these actions, despite calls to do so. Joel spoke to AUT Pacific Media Centre's Kendall Hutt about this.
Spike speaks to Andrew Little about the Pacific-focused summit held in Papua New Guinea this week, and the new US-PNG security deal inked at the conference.
Spike speaks to Catherine Delahunty from West Papua Action Aotearoa about the current situation in the region, and their open letter to the Aotearoa government.
Producer Angus Coker Grant spoke to human rights activist Maire Leadbeater from West Papua Action about human rights violations committed by the Indonesian government in West Papua. The WPA have called for the New Zealand government to cut its military ties with Indonesia and demand justice for atrocities committed. Angus started off by asking about what the human rights issues the WPA are most concerned with.
The Indonesian Government plans to develop a gold mine in a region of Papua.The Sugapa district of the Intan Jaya regency is one of the biggest gold ore reserves in Indonesia, known as Wabu Block. The area is also a conflict hotspot. Between 2020 and 2021, 12 Indigenous Papuans were killed by Indonesians security forces occupying the area.
Joe spoke to Veronica Koman, the Strategic Advocacy Campaigner for Amnesty International, speaking about the situation in Papua.
Last week the World Health Organisation declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea.
The Papua New Guinea government has activated its emergency response supported by the Australian Government, the WHO and UNICEF.
The government has modified it’s response after a similar outbreak in 2018. The new response involves mass vaccination campaigns, enhanced surveillance of transmission and better localised community engagement.
I spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Dean Pacific Sir Colin Tukitonga about the outbreak, what the response looks like on the ground and what lessons we can take from the Pacific when it comes to vaccinations at a time where New Zealand’s vaccination rates are the lowest in the OECD.
Today in Southern Cross, AUT Pacific Media Centre's Kendall Hutt spoke to Stephanie and Kenneth Tapungu from Papua New Guinea. They talked about what transpired in the country's recent 2017 general election, and what developments there have been in the past week.
This week on Southern Cross, bFM producer Mack Smith spoke to AUT Pacific Media Centre's Kendall Hutt about the latest in Pacific news. They talk West Papua at the Pacific Islands and Kendall's research into financing the fight against climate change.
Rosalyn Albaniel Evara was a Journalist in Papua New Guinea who passed away recently. There were allegations that her death was the result of domestic abuse, and a court order has been released halting her burial until a full post-mortem report is available. This case is bringing to light issues surrounding violence against women in the country. Joel spoke with AUT Pacific Media centre’s Kendall Hutt and PhD Student Stephanie Tapungu about this.
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