When Suharto resigned in May, there was a lot of discussion that the West Papuan people would finally be able to win their freedom from Indonesian rule. People thought that under international law, if they flew the West Papuan flag for 72 hours they would have independence. They also believed that they would have US backing, because of statements from Washington. Conditions under Indonesian rule are extremely poor. There are no decent food supplies or health facilities.
Many people die of malaria or other diseases at young ages, for no good reason.
The economic crisis has made things worse, with the price of rice trebling. The West Papuans have been second class citizens for decades. The wealth produced by the copper mine at Freeport and from the logging operations, run by companies connected to the military, has not been shared by the people. Casey said she and Meixner had given their information to some organisations when they returned to Australia, in the hope that action would be taken. It is now known, from an account given by a local lawyer to a visiting Australian student, that after the initial Biak massacre 139 people, including women and children, were taken out to sea on two navy boats.