The humanitarian aid has been delivered on a My Indo Airline B737-800 cargo aircraft that departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and landed at Vanuatu’s Bauerfield International Airport today.

A representative of the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, Doddy, said the relief consisted mainly of food, tents and agricultural tools.

According to BBN Breaking News, Indonesia is also sending a 14-member humanitarian mission to Vanuatu.

“The team will include representatives from the Coordinating Ministry for Cultural Affairs, Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN),” BNN Breaking reported.

“They will work closely with local authorities and international organisations to ensure that the aid is distributed effectively and efficiently.”

“Indonesia’s commitment to providing aid to Vanuatu showcases its strong ties to the Pacific region and its continued efforts to promote regional cooperation and support.

It also highlights the importance of international solidarity and cooperation in addressing global challenges.”

However, the vice president of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Lai Sakita, who was at the airport this morning, said the arrival of the relief supplies was “suspicious”.

He warned that the Vanuatu government needed to be very careful of the Indonesian assistance with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders summit due to be held in July this year.

The Free West Papua movement wants the MSG leaders to approve West Papua’s application to become a full member of the sub-regional agency at this summit.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Vanuatu’s prime minister has stressed any future employment within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat must be from MSG member countries.

Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, who is also chair of the MSG Secretariat, made the statement following the recruitment of two Indonesian consultants to work in the MSG secretariat in Port Vila.

“We must first look within our region if we have people with required skills,” Kalsakau said.

“If the Melanesian region does not have those skill sets for any upcoming job, then we can look beyond our region,” he said.

Kalsakau’s remarks to MSG Director-General Leonard Louma come after members of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association staged a protest outside the secretariat in Port Vila against the hiring of Indonesian consultants.

Louma had said at the time that the agency was aiming to strengthen its capacity, which included the recruitment of two Indonesian nationals filling the roles of a private sector development officer and a manager of arts, culture and youth programme.

Louma said the secretariat had been directed to reprioritise its activities and was now positioning itself to meet the demands and expectations of the leaders.

Vanuatu support for West Papua
He also added that saying only Melanesians should work at the MSG Secretariat was like saying that only Pacific Islanders should work at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, adding it was “disingenuous” to suggest such a notion.

But, the Free West Papua Association in Vanuatu said hiring the Indonesians made a mockery of the support Vanuatu had given West Papua for many years.

However, Indonesia has associate membership status in the MSG. The granting of this status has been criticised by Pacific civil society groups due to the ongoing conflict between Indonesia’s military and the West Papua liberation army, and human rights violations.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group and is actively seeking full membership.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz