Letter to UN Secretary-General

Below is a sample letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations urging a review of the Act of Free Choice:

[date]

  
 
 
 
 
 
   

The Secretary-General
United Nations
UN Plaza
New York NY 10017,
USA

 
   

Fax: (212) 963-4879; 963 2155; 963 7055
Email: sg@un.org ; ecu@un.org

Dear Secretary-General,

  
    I am writing to support a request made to you on 26 March 2002 to instigate a review of the UN's conduct in relation to the Act of Free Choice in West Papua in 1968-69. The documents submitted to you on 26 March make it quite clear that the UN failed to fulfil its obligation to "advise, assist and participate" in an act of self-determination "in accordance with international practice".

What took place was a complete sham, which has condemned the West Papuans to more than three decades of brutality and repression at the hands of the Indonesian military. It remains a source of unrest in the territory to this day. This betrayal of the West Papuan people was one of the most discreditable episodes in the UN's history. The UN's conduct then contrasts starkly with its scrupulously fair administration, under your leadership, of the popular consultation in East Timor in 1999.

I urge you to act immediately on the request for a review of the UN's conduct in West Papua. A proper investigation is vital to the credibility of the UN as an organisation which promotes and protects all human rights, including the right to self-determination. I look forward to your response to this request.

Yours sincerely,



[your name and title]