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Irian Jaya Under the Gun: Indonesian Economic Development Versus West Papuan Nationalism
Irian Jaya Under the Gun Indonesian Economic Development Versus West Papuan Nationalism Author:Jim Elmslie Jim Elmslie traces events in Irian Jaya/West Papua from the departure of the Dutch in 1963 to December 1999. The majority of the indigenous people of the area consider themselves West Papuans living in the land of West Papua, a country incorporated into the Indonesian state without their consent or approval. Made up of Melanesian peoples, the we... more »stern part of New Guinea is one of the least developed places on earth with the largest expanses outside the Amazon of untouched and, in some cases, still unexplored rainforest and wilderness. It is a region ripe for economic exploitation. The local people are being squeezed as outsiders flock to West Papua to take advantage of the vast natural resources the country possesses. The logging, mining, and fishing industries are booming, as are the cities, towns, and transmigration settlements. Irian Jaya under the Gun chronicles the rapid changes that are taking place under the guise of Indonesian economic development and its generally pro-crony, pro-military, pro-multinational corporation, and anti-Papuan thrust. It describes what can happen to an indigenous population when insensitive governments and avaricious multinationals are more concerned about profits than the environment or the people inhabiting the land.« less