Indonesia has denied allegations regarding West Papua made by Pacific leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York.
It has lashed out at the leaders of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who called for an investigation into alleged killings, torture, abduction and human rights abuses against indigenous West Papuans by Indonesian security forces
Earlier in the Assembly's annual session, Vanuatu's prime minister Charlot Salwai accused world leaders of turning a deaf ear to more than half a century of atrocities committed by Indonesia on West Papuans.
His statements were echoed in a speech by Manasseh Sogavare of Solomon Islands.
In response, an Indonesian government spokeswoman told the assembly Indonesia categorically denied all allegations levelled against it regarding Papua region, known widely as West Papua.
According to the spokeswoman, Papua and West Papua had the fastest growing economies in all of Indonesia and that the indigenous West Papuans benefited greatly from the development occurring in their provinces.
Source: Radio NZ
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
