Past Journalism and Human Security Work

 

 

In 2005 I was involved in setting up a national activist network on West Papua, and was formerly involved with liaising with the West Papua National Authority, a forerunner to the current West Papuan National Consensus.

 

 

During this time, I conducted numerous support campaigns and grew my network considerably around the region. At the end of 2005, I conducted a mission to investigate allegations of security disturbances and human rights abuses by Indonesian military linked logging companies. The reality was far more disturbing, and the findings were published as “Terror-razing the Forest”. This created quite a stir around the Pacific, and it opened up a lot of further opportunities for research, and information networks.

 

Of course during this time, I was also co-ordinating the Australian and Torres Strait response to the arrival of 43 key West Papuan activists hunted by the Indonesian government to safety in Australia, with a major naval and military search. My role was as a senior adviser, and also I was responsible for identifying key allies within government(s) that enabled the asylum seekers to safely land in Australia. I was personally responsible for key government, military, search and rescue, and media liaison, and was able to make the situation play out exactly according to our obligations under international law. I still keep a good rapport with the many useful contacts that were made during this time, especially in the media.

 

In the months subsequent to this, I was approached by many media organisations to enable them access to otherwise closed places, and to get material on issues that were regionally significant and of high media interest. I was working as a fixer and contact co-ordinator on these projects, and provided support and monitoring until the job was done.

 

A full list of prior appointments (where appropriate) is available to those that require my services.

 

May 2006 saw me undertake an Emergency protection and monitoring mission, and was involved in securing a large group of extreme at-risk refugees from kidnapping. I was responsible for some unprecedented security action within PNG against Indonesian agents, and many other quite daunting tasks that were completed with full safety and security. This included taking the crew for the film Strange Birds in Paradise into refugee and guerrilla camps in the PNG border.  For full details, please check out the Reports section.

 

 

Due to these missions, and my prior work, my networks are able to complete similar tasks in areas that are ignored by almost every other international NGO, with the honourable exception of those I already work with.

 

 

Please browse the site, my reports and my links to see how you can help the region or how I can help you help the region.

Summary of Experience