As he and others left the courthouse, they burst into song, and Forkorus said in a speech that it would not be long before West Papua would be free and no longer part of Indonesia. The Republic of Indonesia will have to recognise the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of West Papua and withdraw all its troops from the Land of Papua.
The hearing was held to hear the testimony of more witnesses. But some of the witnesses did not turn up and the prosecutor asked the permission of the judge to read out their statements, although the five defendants said that this was unacceptable because the witnesses should first be sworn in. Nevertheless, the prosecutor was allowed to read out a statement by one of the witnesses, Hans Makabory, 39 years old, a civil servant who witnessed the events on 19 October, following the end of the Third Papuan Congress.
In the statement, he said that as he went onto the field (where the congress had been held). [See note below.] He stood behind a barrier and watched the large crowd running round the field. He intended to go home but the pathway to his house had been closed so he returned to the field so as to leave through a gateway from the field. He said that crowd continued to run round the field. Some members of the security forces pushed him back onto the field and then dragged him to police headquarters.
He said that the Congress had agreed to establish the Federal Republic of West Papua which would be a state independent of Indonesia.
A statement by another witness, Linus William Waprawiri, said that he was standing behind the tent where the congress had been held and heard that the chairman of DAP, Dewan Adat Papua, Forkorus said that people should not fly the Morning State flag at that moment but should do so on 1 December, the anniversary of the West Papua state, when the flag would be flown everywhere throughout the territory.
The witness said that he supported the Third Papuan Congress and West Papua had won its freedom since 1961, with the support of the Dutch.
Another witness, Bernard Done said in his statement that the Papuan people have the right to self-determination. He said that the Congress had been held to establish the Federal Republic of West Papua and had elected Forkorus as its President.
Th next hearing of the trial will be held on 2 March.
[Note:The original intention was for the Third Papuan Congress to be held at Cenderawasih University or another building in Jayapura. But the authorities had denied permission for these venues to be used. This despite the fact that permission had been given for the Congress to take place. It had even been agreed that a senior official of Indonesian Department of the Interior would deliver the opening address of the Congress. Having been denied a venue, the Congress organisations decided to hold the Congress in the open air, in a field normally used for sports events.]
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It is my belief that the International Court of Justice legal precedent found in the ICJ opinion on Greenland and the sovreignty in that conflict was decided on the Legal fact that was based on a “continuous peaceful occupation!” This legal precedent is in West Papua’s favor! The U.N. Trustee appointed by the General Assembly, the Netherlands granted Independence through its apointee to the First West Papuan Council a democracy with sovereignty based on West Papuan tribal defense of its pre-WWII territorial boundries recognized by the U.N., the U.S.A., Australia, and New Zealand. West Papua unlike Indonesia which country did not defend it’s territorial boundries during WWII from the Japanese Imperial Army/Navy. “Dutch” New Guinea through its protected trustees, the West Papuan tribal military transport volunteers, its native military scouts, its military native coastwatchers, and its military trained hospital trained corpsman did display West Papuan tribal support for the U.S., Australian and New Zealand armed forces in aiding them defeat Imperial Japanese invading Asian military forces! This solid display by West Papuan native troops against an Asian military invasion set the precedent in 1945 before Indonesian establishment of a country that West Papuan natives realized a united front against any Asian military invasion force of their sovereign territorial boundries! This international display of a claim to West Papuan sovereignty seperate and apart from Indonesian sovereignty shows that Indonesia welcomed invading Japanese Imperial forces while West Papuans joined the U.S.A., Australian and New Zealand countries in driving out an Asian invading military force showing West Papuan unity for a “Free and Independent Territorial Sovereignty at the surrender of Japan unconditionally! The fact that the U.S.A. has appoligized for its armed forces invasion of the Kingdom of Hawaii as contrary to International practice of recognizing a “sovereign nation,” also supplies a second Pacific precedance that West Papua’s armed resistance against Imperial Japan was a defacto act of claiming “sovereignty” in that the U.S.A./Australia/New Zealand accepted the many allied activities of West Papuan tribal fighters in an armed conflict union to protect West Papuan Tribal territorial “sovereignty!” There is more historical evidence for West Papuan right to Independence than against!