Mr Freddy from West Papua

There is a man who comes into the PCV office frequently to work in a tiny corner of an already crowded office. We finally got talking to him the other day and found out he is a political refugee from West Papua.

West Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, has been seeking independence from Indonesian governance for many years. Freddy was once an independence fighter and would be arrested for treason if he returned home. His citizenship has been revoked and he is currently stateless. Vanuatu is one of many nations who support the cause of West Papua to be independent, and has given him temporary shelter here. He is recognised as a refugee by UNHCR, and he has applied for a humanitarian visa from both Australia and New Zealand. While he is here he no means of support other than donations.

It is hard to imagine him as a jungle fighter, he is smaller than me (Annette), but maybe that is an advantage.