Papuan activist Kaisiëpo dies

Published on 31 January 2010 – 8:56pm Radio Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Papuan activist VIktor Kaisiëpo has died in his home town of Amersfoort at the age of 61.

Mr Kaisiëpo devoted his life to the right to self-determination of the Indonesian province of Papua, the former Dutch colonial possession. of Dutch New Guinea. He was spokesperson for the West Papua People’s Front, the federation of Papuan organisations in the Netherlands.

Mr Kaisiëpo also lobbied the United Nations to promote the rights of his people as well as the rights of other indiginous peoples. He was born in Dutch New Guinea, but his family left for the Netherlands when the territory was handed over to Indonesia in 1962. Mr Kaisiëpo’s father was also a well-known activist for Papuan independence.

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