Sally this is the story indonesia doesnt want the world to know. [singing] sally we start our journey in port moresby where the morning star flag, the symbol of west papuan independence, is being celebrated. Musician ronny kareni wears the colors with pride. Ronny kareni for me, it represents my people and the significance of how many people left suffered or died or imprisoned just for that morning star flag. Sally ronny fled from west papua nearly 40 years ago and now lives in australia. The performers are drumming up support for their compatriots across the border. Ronny [speaking foreign language] sally in indonesiancontrolled west papua, flying this flag can get you arrested or worse. Ronny it makes what we are fighting for and representing that morning star become so significant that it is something that we will die for. Sorong samarai, one people, one soul, one destiny Sorong Samarai, weve got to keep on pushing sally the band, Sorong Samarai, sings the soundtrack of the independence struggle. It calls for the island of new guinea to be one nation from sorong in the west to samarai in the east. While Papua New Guinea is independent, west papua is part of indonesia. Powes parkop one people, one culture, one ancestor. Sally the outspoken governor of port moresby, powes parkop, is urging Papua New Guineans and the International Community to support west papuan independence. Powes i have chosen and committed not to live in fear anymore. To be courageous and to be brave and to tell the truth. This is our weapon of choice. Sally the voices for change are growing louder but can they undo the past . Sally the western side of new guinea was given to indonesia in a deal brokered by the un. Sally in 1969, indonesia held a ballot called the act of free choice, but they only selected just over 1000 west papuans to vote and then declared a unanimous victory. Theres been conflict ever since, bloodshed, and human rights abuses. It still overshadows the lives of many west papuans. Sally the fly river is one of the biggest in Papua New Guinea. It makes up part of the border with indonesiancontrolled papua. Sally for tony sapiopa, getting out on the water is a chance to forget his troubles for a short while. Sally are there many families living by the river . Tony sapiopa yeah, these young people they are west papuans, but they have been, you know, crossing the border for so many years. Sally tony is one of thousands of west papuan refugees living along the border in png. Tony i sometimes feel depressed because of the situation that we face herewe are facing here, especially the government of Papua New Guinea is not really looking after the refugees here and thats what sometimes make us feel angry, feel frustration, feel depressed. But i think the only dream that we have is, you know, to fight for our freedom. Sally tony has a makeshift house near the riverbank. Sally how long have you been living here . Tony i left karawari, just came. Sally he lives with his 71yearold widowed mother, esther finey. Tony mom, this is sally. Sally the family fled west papua in 1984 because of unrest. Esther finey [speaking foreign language] sally esther finey sells fried banana to earn a small living. Esther [speaking foreign language] sally before she became a refugee, she was a teacher in west papua. Her husband worked for a un agency. The family was middle class. Tony i used to tell her that its okay, its okay, dont cry because, you know, because of your aim, because of your dream for your homeland to be free, thats why you took house here. So you dont need to cry. Just wait patiently, struggle, and then you will see the result of it. Sally its an impossible choice to endure a lack of freedom in west papua or live in poverty in Papua New Guinea. Sally tony is part of a lost generation, lacking education and opportunity. Sally the rest of the family has returned and esther finey wonders if its better to go back too, but her health is failing. Esther [speaking foreign language] tony im eagerly want to go, go to west papua and fight, instead of wasting my time here, you know. So because this is the only dream i have. This is the only dream that i still carry on, that i hope that one day west papua will be free. Sally when theres trouble in west papua, its felt here, across the border in kiunga. Its one of the biggest towns in this part of western province. This is the place that Asylum Seekers try to reach for safety. The latest arrivals are being processed on the outskirts of town. Sally well, this is the camp behind me where the new arrivals are being housed. We have a media visa to be here in png thats been approved all the way from the Prime Ministers Office and it includes permission to speak with people who have crossed over the border. But local officials are not allowing us to go inside the camp or to hear the stories of these people who fled during last years unrest. Sally these are the first pictures of the more than 100 men, women, and children who crossed the border last november. No one from the png government here will give us an interview. Off camera, they say they want to protect their relationship with indonesia. Sally last year, the world got a rare glimpse of tensions erupting in west papua. [chanting] sally these videos shared online show papuan students being surrounded by indonesian mobs and racially abused. Sally thousands of people took to the streets across west papua, demanding an end to racism and crying papua merdeka, freedom for papua. [chanting] sally students marched in solidarity, but indonesias then security minister, former general wiranto, rejected the calls. Wiranto [speaking foreign language] sally peaceful protests soon turned violent. Sally more than 6000 indonesian soldiers and police were deployed. This Video Shows Police shooting at unarmed civilians. Indonesia says it was in selfdefense. Pro indonesian militia Groups Joined the fight. Male [speaking foreign language] sally the region descended into the bloodiest unrest in decades. Hundreds of protestors were detained. An internet blackout was enforced across the region. Sally were on our way to a secret meeting. One of the activists on the top of indonesias most wanted list has agreed to an interview. Hes crossed the border illegally into Papua New Guinea. Finally, we reach a safe house. Sally victor yeimo arrives in the early hours of the morning. Sally how much do you worry for your safety at the moment in west papua . Victor yeimo all of my life i worry about my life. Not only me, i worry about my people lives. All the people of west papua worry about their life. There is no future for people of west papua today. I grew up with suffering. I born with suffering, and i live with suffering. Sally victor yeimo is the leader of a growing west papuan Civil Resistance Movement and was a key organizer of last years protests. Victor people of west papua, for us its better for us to fight before dying, for our dignity. It is better than just sit down and give up, be silent and be killed. Occupied by indonesia. So, fighting is somethingduty. Its a role of young generation, like me. Sally victor yeimo is urging australia to support west papuan independence. Victor if you can do for east timor, you can do the same thing with the west papuan people. Humanity is more important, so please, i believe that if people of australia today that care of us, you will be remembered by the generation of west papua. You will become part of history of our nation. Sally after last years unrest, indonesia banned foreign media in west papua. But one journalist is determined to get the story out. Victor mambor is the editor of a west papuan newspaper. He reported on the 2019 demonstrations. Sally is it dangerous for you to get some of these stories . Victor mambor yeah, its dangerous. With an indonesian mother, and west papuan father, hes trusted by both sides. Victor truly i am one of them lucky journalists cause i can walk in the papuan side, but also in the indonesian side. Listen, my intent is to help my peoples. Sally hes been doing what we cant filming inside west papua for Foreign Correspondent. Sally how important is it for the world to know whats happening in west papua . Victor i think its very important to the world to know what happened in west papua because the human rights abuses happen every day and every place. Sally Victor Mambor traveled to west papuas remote central highlands. Theres long been unrest here, but the fighting between separatists and indonesian forces has intensified. Male why you going back together . Sally the recent conflict started here in the district of nduga, causing a humanitarian disaster. Local Officials Say 45,000 people have been displaced. Sally victor is meeting raga kagoya, a highlander helping those who fled. Raga kagoya [speaking foreign language] sally the construction of this road triggered the current fighting, a 4000kilometer link called the transpapuan highway. Jakarta says it will bring Economic Opportunity and improve living standards, but many west papuans fear indonesia will use it to take land, exploit natural resources, and destroy local culture. Raga [speaking foreign language] sally in december 2018, a group of west papuan independence fighters ambushed and slaughtered at least 16 indonesian road workers. Indonesia retaliated with a security offensive to capture those responsible. Wiranto [speaking foreign language] sally Foreign Correspondent has obtained exclusive video of the aftermath of indonesias operation. It shows houses burnt to the ground and villages abandoned. Thousands of locals fled to the jungle for safety, some only venturing out to bury the dead. Sally others suffered severe injuries in the attack. Allegations of chemical weapons have surfaced, a claim indonesia strenuously denies. Sally human Rights Groups estimate that more than 200 west papuans have died. Irian kagoya witnessed the violence and is still traumatized. Irian kagoya [speaking foreign language] sally indonesia denies using bombs but admits grenades were launched during the military operation. [speaking foreign language] sally last year, human rights workers discovered this grave, containing the bodies of three papuan women and two children who had allegedly been shot dead. Activists want the United Nations to investigate events in nduga. Indonesias former security minister, wiranto, and the Indonesian Ambassador to australia, declined our requests for an interview. In a written statement, they blamed separatists for the violence and say, Indonesian Security forces respect and promote human rights. They say only 2000 civilians were affected by the situation in nduga. Male [speaking foreign language] sally these are the rebels that indonesia is hunting 19yearold commander, igianis kagoya and his soldiers. These pictures show children in the ranks. Raga is igianis kagoyas cousin and she says the use of child soldiers is a new and tragic part of the conflict. Raga [speaking foreign language] sally raga has opened her home in the main town of wamena to care for children orphaned by the conflict. The children are severely traumatized and too scared to reveal their identity for fear of reprisal. [speaking foreign language] raga [speaking foreign language] sally the spokesperson for the armed wing of the west Papuan Independence Movement is now based in png. Sebi sanbong is a former political prisoner. He fled across the border in 2013. Sally will you kill again . Sebi sanbong oui, of course. Before independence we will kill. We will fight, continue fight, no compromise. Sally and he defends the use of child soldiers, even though its banned under international law. He says its the result of decades of repression and an estimated 100,000 deaths under indonesian rule. Sebi when theytheir father been to kill, their mother been to kill, and then they grow up to, like, 12 year, to 15 year, they will become soldier. Sally victor yeimo from the Civil Movement says theyre committed to peaceful action but defends the right of papuans to take up arms. Victor they are not terrorists. They are not troublemaker. They are not criminal. They areoriginally they are freedom fighter. Sally on Papua New Guineas north coast, the town of vanimo sits close to the border. Its a popular tourist spot for surfers from around the world. Sally life is peaceful here, but for musician ronny kareni this place is full of memories. Ronny there is a lot of pain that my family has gone through and even my own immediate family. But one thing that we also came to realize is the memory of suffering. Sally ronny was a refugee here for seven years as a child. His family was one of thousands who fled west papua due to political unrest. Ronny growing up in a refugee camp in vanimo, its the survival of the fittest, and its living in limbo. Ronny okay, so here we are. Sally so this is the border up here. Ronny were coming up close to the border. Papua new guinea and indonesia. Sally ah, there it is. Think wed get so close. Sally weve traveled to the official border checkpoint between indonesia and png. Normally, a busy trade route, today its closed because of coronavirus. Ronny im feeling emotional, especially where i know the land is one. Its like im already in my homeland in west papua. Although the fence behind me will separate me but im home. This isi feel like im home. Sally many families are split by the border. Ronnys aunt, dorothy tekwe, lives on the Papua New Guinean side. Dorothy tekwe my greatgrandmother is from the other side of the border so we see our relatives on the other side. While they enjoy certain economic benefits brought by indonesia, theythere are other things that they dont enjoy that we enjoy. Sally activism runs in the family. Dorothy is a longtime human rights and environmental campaigner. Dorothy it is time the world look at what is happening in this little spot. Just because we are black and we happen to be melanesians, and we dont have tanks, we dont have fighter jets, but you forget that there are people on this island that are suffering like that. Something has to be done. One people, one soul, one destiny Sorong Samarai one people, one soul, one destiny sally the battle for independence continues, and the dream of west papuan freedom. Victor morning star is our vision, our mission, our destination. Along the night, there will be sunrise in the morning. And the people of west papua hope that one day, the morning star will rise up. One man, one canoe [singing foreign language] come back again like a disco boomerang [singing foreign language] Sorong Samarai eric tlozek the lowest place on earth, the dead sea, is slipping away. Its been the site of dramatic biblical stories, and the area is still contested today. David elhayani this is the Promised Land by god to the jewish. Eric for millennia, treasured for its healing powers. Male i have skin issues, and the sea, when youre in it for a couple hours, it almost takes everything away. Female youre flowing. Its feeling wonderful, like, ooh. Eric modernday pilgrims still come to bathe in the salty, mineralrich waters