John Otto Ondawame is an academic and activist of the West Papua liberation movement. He is the head of West Papua People’s

Free Papua Movement

The Free Papua Movement is a militant organisation established in 1965 to encourage and effect the violent overthrow of the current governments in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian Jaya to secede from Indonesia, and to reject economic development and...

 Representative Office at Port Vila

Port Vila

Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...

, Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

, international spokesperson for the Free Papua Movement

Free Papua Movement

The Free Papua Movement is a militant organisation established in 1965 to encourage and effect the violent overthrow of the current governments in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia, formerly known as Irian Jaya to secede from Indonesia, and to reject economic development and...

, and member of the Papua Presidium Council

Papua Presidium Council

The Papua Presidium Council is 31 member umbrella group that was established to represent West Papua. It is commonly referred to as PDP among the Papuans....

. He obtained his PhD

PHD

PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 degree in political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 from Australian National University

Australian National University

The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

 in Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

 in 2000, MSc

MSC

- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...

 degree from the University of Western Sydney

University of Western Sydney

The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in 1995, Graduate Diploma

Graduate Diploma

A Graduate Diploma is generally a postgraduate qualification, although some graduate diplomas involve the study of undergraduate level courses...

s from the University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...

 in 1994 and the Uppsala University

Uppsala University

Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...

 in 1986, and Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree from the Cenderawasih University

Cenderawasih University

Universitas Cenderawasih is a university in Jayapura, in the province Papua, Indonesia. The university is the leading educational institution in the province....

, West Papua in 1976. He holds Swedish nationality

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

John Ondawame has been carrying out extensive lobbying activities and public awareness campaigns in various countries, promoting both the self-determination

Self-determination

Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...

 of Western New Guinea

Western New Guinea

West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...

, and solidarity links among oppressed, colonized and indigenous peoples.

John Ondawame was a recipient of the 2001 Reconciliation Award bestowed by the Australians Against Execution group, and the 1972 President Suharto Award for Academic Excellence.

Publications

• John Otto Ondawame. ’One people, one soul’: West Papuan nationalism and the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM)/Free Papua Movement. PhD, RSPAS, ANU, c. 2000. Australian Dissertations on Asia, 1999-2002. Asian Studies Association of Australia, Inc., 2002.
• John Otto Ondawame. The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People, in: L.L. Ivanov et al. The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People. Sofia: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2003. 96 pp. ISBN 954-91503-1-3 (Comparison between the self-determination in West Papua and the Falkland Islands.)
• John Otto Ondawame. Promoting the Collective Rights of Indigenous People to Self-Determination: The West Papua Case. Regional Round Table Conference on Education of Indigenous People of the Pacific. Suva, 4–7 December 2003.
• John Otto Ondawame. Self-Determination: Building a Better Future. Second International Conference on West Papua in Neuendettelsau, Germany, 12–17 October 2002.
• John Ondawame and Peter King. West Papua: Exploring the Prospects of Peace with Justice. Centre for Peace and Conflict at the University of Sydney. Position Paper No. 02, 1 September 2001.
• John Otto Ondawame. The Future of West Papua. Workshop on Autonomy and Democracy in the Asia Pacific region, ANU Darwin. March 2000.
• John Otto Ondawame. Self-Determination in West Papua (Irian Jaya)”, published in Indigenous Affairs, No:1/2000, January–March of the International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• John Otto Ondawame. Now East Timor, Next West Papua. Pacific Islands Monthly, Suva, 10 October 1999.
• John Otto Ondawame. Pengar, Makt, därför ockuperade Väst Papua (Money and Power, for this reason West Papua was occupied). Bulletin, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Stockholm, 1985.