Statement from WILPF Asia Pacific regional meeting, 25-27 April 2014
Military occupation and military bases must be removed from the Asia Pacific region.
A call for decolonisation and demilitarisation of the Pacific came from women at a regional gathering of the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) in Auckland, April 25-27.
Women attended from Rapa, Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Japan, the Philippines, Aotearoa, Australia and Hawai’i.
They also call for the removal of military training and promotion from schools since this normalises violence. Military spending should be reallocated to eliminate all forms of violence: domestic, social and military, to meet human needs.
People have been dispossessed of their land through military colonial forces and all forms of human rights violations.
The meeting called for recognition of independent countries which are still under military domination.
“Militarisation in the past has caused the colonisation of countries which are still under domination,” said Roti Make from WILPF Polynesia section. She specified Hawai’i under the USA, Rapanui under Chile, French Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Wallis and Futuna annexed under France, and West Papua under Indonesia.
“We call on the United Nations to accept our identity and recognise us as independent nations,” she added.
The women also called for an end to joint military exercises.
WILPF has its hundredth anniversary in April 2015 and they invite all women in the region to join their call.
Military occupation and military bases must be removed from the Asia Pacific region.
A call for decolonisation and demilitarisation of the Pacific came from women at a regional gathering of the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) in Auckland, April 25-27.
Women attended from Rapa, Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Japan, the Philippines, Aotearoa, Australia and Hawai’i.
They also call for the removal of military training and promotion from schools since this normalises violence. Military spending should be reallocated to eliminate all forms of violence: domestic, social and military, to meet human needs.
People have been dispossessed of their land through military colonial forces and all forms of human rights violations.
The meeting called for recognition of independent countries which are still under military domination.
“Militarisation in the past has caused the colonisation of countries which are still under domination,” said Roti Make from WILPF Polynesia section. She specified Hawai’i under the USA, Rapanui under Chile, French Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Wallis and Futuna annexed under France, and West Papua under Indonesia.
“We call on the United Nations to accept our identity and recognise us as independent nations,” she added.
The women also called for an end to joint military exercises.
WILPF has its hundredth anniversary in April 2015 and they invite all women in the region to join their call.