Fed: 75 per cent of Aussies support Papuan independence

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2006
Fed: 75 per cent of Aussies support Papuan independence

SYDNEY, April 19 AAP - More than 75 per cent of Australians support self-determination
or independence for Papua, a new poll shows.

The Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper today, found 76.7 per cent of respondents
believed Papua should have the right to self-determination or independence.

The poll, which comes amid Indonesian anger towards Australia over the granting of
visas to 42 Papuan refugees, was commissioned by businessman Ian Melrose, who has campaigned
for a better deal for East Timor over oil and gas rights in the Timor Sea.

Only 5.5 per cent of Australians opposed self-determination for Papua, while 17.7 per
cent said they did not have an opinion on the issue or did not know.

Papuans are fighting for independence from Indonesia, saying that because they are
Melanesian, their culture is completely different to that of the rest of the country.

East Timor, a former Indonesian province, won independence after the intervention of
the United Nations.

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KEYWORD: POLL PAPUA

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