This page was created in 2005 and may contain language which is now outdated.
In 1962, President Kennedy instructed the Netherlands to hand Papua over to Indonesia, rather than granting it independence. Any measure was to be taken to appease Indonesia and so avoid Communism, including sacrificing Papuans to its bloody and persecuting regime.
The CIA dismissed Papua as ’cannibal land', suggesting it would have a better future under Indonesian government. Tragically, the reality could not be more different. Approximately 100,000 Papuans have been killed since Indonesia took over the region and the killing is yet to stop.
