Litia Cava 
[file photo]
The NGO Coalition on Human Rights is calling on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to confront unfinished business in Melanesia.
This beginning with standing firm on West Papua and Kanaky-New Caledonia.
Following his reappointment as Chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the coalition states that Rabuka must not shy away from the founding mission of the MSG and to fight for the independence and self-determination of all Melanesian peoples.
The group warns that Indonesia’s role as an associate member continues to undermine this mission.
It said Jakarta’s repression in West Papua, backed by chequebook diplomacy, was silencing those who most need the MSG’s support.
The coalition adds t Fiji inherits a difficult task as MSG Chair and must be prepared to question whether Indonesia’s place in the group remains appropriate.
Quoting the late Father Walter Lini, the coalition reminds regional leaders that Melanesia will not be free until all of Melanesia is free.
They also urge Rabuka to elevate the struggles of Kanaky and West Papua at the MSG level and at the Pacific Islands Forum, stressing that justice and sovereignty must no longer be sidelined for diplomacy.
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