The Promise
When the Netherlands transferred the sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to the Indonesian government in 1949, it still retained control over what was then called Dutch New Guinea. Indonesia did not accept this and demanded control over that part of the former Dutch East Indies as well. Under heavy pressure from the international community, the Netherlands gave in in 1962: the area became Indonesian and was henceforth called West Papua. A condition, however, was that a binding plebiscite would be organised. This was actually held in 1969, the Act of Free Choice, but it turned out to be a sham: West Papua ‘chose’ to integrate into the Indonesian Republic. Since then, Papuans have been exposed to persecution, exploitation and oppression.
In this documentary full of restored archive material, filmmaker Daan Velduizen lets the Papuans tell their harrowing story, a story full of broken promises, backroom politics and neo-colonial capitalism. Painfully, it becomes clear how the world stood by and remained silent - to this day.
