PNG to offer citizenship for West Papuan refugees

Papua New Guinea are preparing to give citizenship to refugees from West Papua who are fleeing their homeland.

The Department of Immigration states they are in the process of granting citizenship to West Papuan refugees.

Deputy Chief of PNG Migration and Refugees Affairs, Esther Gaegaming said about 3000 refugees from West Papua who are currently stayed at refugee camps in East Awin, Iowara, Kuinga of North Fly Province have been registered.

Gaegaming says that refugees are the most vulnerable people in the world, and most of whom have lived in PNG for over fifteen years. “This is the greatest humanitarian crisis of all time, and this displacement is happening at around the world,” she said.

UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) considers the measures taken by the Papua New Guinea Government as positive act to integrate the West Papua refugees, and in order to protect the refugees, a clearer legal basis of this new migration is also in preparation.

“UNHCR will facilitate the sustainable solution for the West Papua refugees, in particular for local integration, and will support the capacity of both government and NGOs to provide protection and effective aid for asylum seekers and non-Melanesian refugees,” reported UNHCR.

In the early 2015, the Head of Boven Digoel Regional Boarder Area, Martinus Torip said as many as 30,000 residents of Boven Digoel and Merauke were living in PNG territory, who have hace been fleeing West Papua since the conflict began in 1984.

Source: West Papua Daily