Rebels Of The Forgotten World

Date: June 1990
Location: Indonesia, Irian-Jaya, West Papua
Distributor: Channel 4 UK & world-wide distribution.
Credits: directed and filmed by Claudio von Planta

Editor: Charles Frater / Executive Producer: Alan Hayling

This film offers the first ever insight into the West Papuan independence struggle against the Indonesian Army, which occupied the Western part of New Guinea in 1963.

This is the most extreme and complicated film I ever produced. The preparations took me more than a year, I lost an airplane in the jungle of Irian Jaya, escaped the Indonesian Army for six month and got eventually rescued by helicopter. My survival depended on the Papuans, many amazing friends and also my parents back in Switzerland who helped coordinating the rescue operation.

All the footage with the Papuans was shot by myself but the filming on the Indonesian side was organised by a separate team. It was crucial to show both sides of the conflict.

This 52 minute film was first broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.

This film offers the first ever insight into the West Papuan independence struggle against the Indonesian Army, which occupied the Western part of New Guinea in 1963.

This is the most extreme and complicated film I ever produced. The preparations took more than a year, an airplane was lost in the jungle of Irian Jaya, and I had to hide for six months as the Indonesian Army hunted me down. Luckily I was rescued by helicopter. But I would not have survived without the aid of the Papuans, many amazing friends and my parents back in Switzerland. My family helped to coordinate the rescue operation that safely brought me home.

I filmed exclusively on the side of the Papuan OPM rebels and a separate team under the direction of Alan Hayling filmed with the Indonesians. His input made it possible to show both sides of this ongoing colonial conflict.

There are 3 key sequences that illustrate Indonesia’s involvement in West Papua:

First, the exploitation of copper at Tembagapura is probably the main reason why the Indonesians invaded West Papua. The American run mining company, Freeport, is today one of Indonesia’s biggest tax payers.

Second, the Indonesian government created many transmigration camps all over West Papua where they settled over 1 million peasants from Java. It helps them alleviate the overpopulation. But the Melanesian Papuans who are mainly Christians perceive these Malay and Islamic immigrants as foreign invaders.

Third, the Indonesian Army denies the existence of a West Papuan independence claim. They crush any opposition against their authority with an iron fist.

Posted by john on 06.18.1990 at 3:08 pm// Tagged: News // Have your say »