Free Papua Movement

Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM — Indonesian: Papuan Independence Organisation) is a Free Papua Movement active since 1964. Though often misrepresented as a militant organization it seeks a preferably peaceful means by which to have Indonesia respect the West Papuan Nation's right to independence and the removal of ethnic cleansing programs. The OPM retains a very high degree of support throughout the multi-lingual community.

In 1969 Papuans discovered the United Nations had shamefully given the Indonesian Military authority complete control of the now so-called "Act of Free Will", a farce in which Papuans were not allowed to prove their overwhelming wish to return to indepndance and for Indonesia to leave their country. In response to this Oom Nicolas Jouwe and two OPM commanders, Seth Jafeth Roemkorem and Jacob Hendrik Prai, planned to announce the nations Papuan Independence in 1971.

On 1st July 1971 Roemkorem and Prai declared a Republic of West Papua, a constitution and schedule were drafted and adopted. The intention was that this declaration be used to challenge the recent "Act of Free Will" farce and the Indonesian annexation of the West Papuan nation as null and void. However, the declaration was intercepted by Indonesian security and never made it out of a West Papua under Indonesian control.

This failure and personal conflict between Roemkorem and Prai, soon initiated a split of the OPM into a PEMKA fraction lead by Prai, and a TPN fraction lead by Roemkorem. This greatly weaken OPM's ability to combat the Indonesian colonization programs.

In 1982 a OPM Revolutionary Council (OPMRC) was established, and under the chairmanship of Moses Werror the OPMRC has sought independence through an International Diplomacy campaign. OPMRC aims to obtain international recogition for West Papuan independence through international forums such as the United Nations, The Non Alligned Movement of Nations, The South Pacific Forum, and The Association of South East Asian Nations.

External links