Independence activists from the Indonesian province of Papua have welcomed Vanuatu's strong support for their cause at the United Nations. Minister Serge Vohor has urged the UN to place Papua back on the list of regions awaiting decolonisation, as a first step towards Papuan independence.

Mr Vohor has also called on the UN to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged atrocities by Indonesian security forces in Papua.

A spokesman for the Australia West Papua Association, Rex Rumakiek, says Vanuatu's own colonial history has made it the region's strongest advocate for Papuan independence.

"Because of their own struggle for independence, they understand our case much better than the others," Mr Rumakiek says.

Source: ABC News 30. september 2002