Students listened to West Papuan Liberation Organization leader John Anari discuss West Papua’s struggle for independence from Indonesia. // Photo courtesy of John Anari.

John Anari, a leader of the West Papuan Liberation Organization (WPLO), visited Hofstra University to talk about his fight for the independence of West Papua from the Indonesian government, as well as the island’s history with colonialism. The presentation took place on Wednesday, April 26, in Davison Hall, where students and event coordinator Timothy P. Daniels, an associate professor of anthropology, gathered to hear Anari’s presentation.

The WPLO leader started his presentation by sharing how he started to gain interest in the freedom movement of West Papua during his time at the University of Science and Technology in Japura, West Papua. There, Anari started forming small groups to fight for the freedom of his people.

Anari is now living in exile in the U.S. after the Indonesian government tried to imprison him for his many liberation movements and protests. Here, he found the opportunity to have his voice heard. Every year, Anari has been invited to the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters to speak on behalf of the indigenous Papuans.

“I don’t care about my life,” Anari said. “I don’t care about the endangerment of my life because I know I fight for the truth. As the Bible says, ‘If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.’”

As Anari told students, West Papua was colonized by the Netherlands in 1898 but obtained its independence from the Dutch government in 1961. However, the Papuan independence did not last long. On Dec. 19, 1961, the Indonesian military declared Operation Trikora and invaded and colonized West Papua.

The leader of WPLO proceeded to show images of protests and forces that the native Papuans formed to resist the invasion. However, their resistance was unsuccessful. In 1962, a treaty sponsored by the U.N. known as the New York Agreement was put in place to end this conflict, which gave Indonesia temporary administration of West Papua.

One of the requirements of the treaty was that all West Papuans should be allowed to vote in a referendum for independence. However, according to The Guardian, when the ballot was held in 1969, the Indonesian military picked “1,026 leaders to vote on behalf of the entire population and threatened to kill them and their families if they voted the wrong way.”

Anari referred to it as a “fake referendum,” as it was never officially agreed to by the Papuans. He is currently working on a draft that might put an end to this referendum. All he needs is a sponsor.

During his presentation, students were moved and shocked by Anari’s telling. One of those students was freshman electrical engineering major Ashton Edouard.

“When I first came here, I only came here for extra credit,” Edouard said. “But when [Anari] started breaking down a bit while presenting his presentation, it kind of dragged me in a little bit because it showed how much he really cared for his fight for freedom.”

“I found it very interesting,” said Sofia Jacubowicz, a sophomore criminology major. “I thought it was very informative.”

“While focusing on Blackness in parts of Southeast Asia, and in the process of doing my personal research, I’ve made relationships with many Papuans,” Daniels said. “A couple of years ago, I made my first connection with [Anari]. We’ve remained friends and in communication.”

When Daniels was informed that Anari was traveling to New York City for his yearly work with the U.N., he thought it was a prime opportunity for Anari to speak with his students.

“I thought it was just an excellent occasion for him to come and enrich the student’s knowledge about the background of his movement and about the condition of Papuans,” Daniels said.

Anari does have family and friends back in West Papua, but the control of the Indonesian government over his island stops him from going back.

“Some of my family and friends … they don’t want me to come back because of the danger,” Anari said. “But me, I’d like to come back to fight. But for now, I’ll focus on diplomacy.”