From Warning Signs to Preparedness: How PNG Should Respond to the West Papua Security Challenge
By Bernard Yegiora The first two articles in this series argued that developments across PNG’s western border should no longer be viewed simply as an Indonesian domestic issue. The first identified warning signs emerging from the West Papua conflict, while the second considered what happens when a neighbouring conflict begins to enter PNG’s security space. This final article asks the more important policy question: What should PNG do about it? The answer is not that PNG should take sides in the West Papua conflict. Nor should PNG abandon its established diplomatic relationship with Indonesia. Rather, PNG needs to recognise that a prolonged conflict immediately across its land border creates national security risks that require sustained monitoring, intelligence assessment, inter-agency coordination and contingency planning. The central issue is preparedness. A Changing Security Environment PNG has lived alongside the West Papua conflict for decades. The border has experienced refugee ...