{"id":49494,"date":"2021-02-22T20:52:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T20:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=55028"},"modified":"2021-02-22T20:52:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T20:52:13","slug":"west-papuans-send-prayers-for-the-recovery-of-sir-michael-somare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/22\/west-papuans-send-prayers-for-the-recovery-of-sir-michael-somare\/","title":{"rendered":"West Papuans send prayers for the recovery of Sir Michael Somare"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pf-content\"><p><em>By Benny Mawel in Jayapura<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has sent prayers for the recovery of the former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, who is critically ill with pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Sir Michael, who is also the founder of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), is a figure who has played an important role in supporting ULMWP to become a member of the group.<\/p>\n<p>Now 84, Sir Michael is being treated at the Pacific International Hospital in Port Moresby, <a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2021\/02\/22\/pngs-founding-father-sir-michael-somare-critically-ill-says-family\/\">as reported by <em>Asia Pacific Report<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/papua-new-guinea-s-father-of-the-nation-michael-somare-is-in-palliative-care\"><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> Papua New Guinea&#8217;s &#8216;father of the nation&#8217; Michael Somare is in palliative care<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2021\/02\/22\/pngs-founding-father-sir-michael-somare-critically-ill-says-family\/\">PNG\u2019s founding father Sir Michael Somare \u2018critically ill\u2019, says family<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>PNG&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenational.com.pg\/somare-sick\/\"><em>The National<\/em> newspaper<\/a> said that Cardinal Sir John Ribat had celebrated a special Eucharist with Sir Michael and his wife, Lady Veronica, at his hospital bed.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"in\">ULMWP mengirimkan doa bagi kesembuhan mantan Perdana Menteri Papua Nugini, Sir Michael Somare yang dikabarkan sakit. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PapuanLiveaMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PapuanLiveaMatter<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yWfvKA9VTp\">https:\/\/t.co\/yWfvKA9VTp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 jubi.co.id (@jubidotcom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jubidotcom\/status\/1363847772823166981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The executive director of ULMWP in West Papua, Markus Haluk, said the movement and the people of West Papua also sent prayers for the recovery of Sir Michael Somare.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The people of West Papua [send] healing prayers for Sir Michael Somare,&#8221; Haluk told Jubi yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>Haluk said that the news of Sir Michael Somare&#8217;s health condition reminded him of the meeting between ULMWP leaders and Sir Michael Somare at the MSG forum in Port Moresby in February 2018.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;Look to the future&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cI remember a message from Sir Somare, &#8216;West Papua don&#8217;t look at the past, but look to the future. I have opened my heart, you [ULMWP] are not alone anymore,\u201d said Haluk.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_55043\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55043\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-55043\" src=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Get-well-Sir-Michael-TNat-300tall.png\" alt=\"The National 230221\" width=\"300\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Get-well-Sir-Michael-TNat-300tall.png 300w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Get-well-Sir-Michael-TNat-300tall-254x300.png 254w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-55043\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Get well, Sir Michael&#8221; &#8211; today&#8217;s front page banner headline in The National. Image: The National screenshot APR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Haluk also remembers that a few minutes later the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea at the time, Peter O&#8217;Neill, came to the MSG meeting venue.<\/p>\n<p>ULMWP leaders were standing and chatting with Sir Michael Somare.<\/p>\n<p>Haluk, realising O&#8217;Neill had arrived, wanted to turn around and greet the prime minister, but Somare prevented him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sir Somare grabbed my shoulder, winked at me, telling me, &#8216;Don&#8217;t turn to face PM O&#8217;Neill. Later he will come in your midst &#8216;. I also followed Sir Somare&#8217;s body language,\u201d said Haluk.<\/p>\n<p>What Sir Michael Somare said came to pass. After Peter O&#8217;Neill greeted all invited guests, ambassadors and MSG delegates, O&#8217;Neill went to Somare&#8217;s circle with the ULMWP delegates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spontaneously greeted PM O&#8217;Neill. <em>\u2018Nopase waaa\u2026 waaa\u2026 waaa\u2026\u2019<\/em> (Papuan greetings to an honourable figure). Sir Somare gasped at my greeting. O&#8217;Neill greeted, &#8216;waa\u2026 waa\u2026 waa\u2026 Thanks Bro &#8216;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then we shook hands with PM O&#8217;Neill,\u201d said Haluk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;That&#8217;s Papuan politics&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nHaluk said he was very impressed with the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s Papuan politics, Melanesian politics. Everything flows from our hearts. [We] understand each other, acknowledge each other. You are important to me. We both need each other. Continue to keep the fellowship alive,&#8221; said Haluk.<\/p>\n<p>Haluk said the West Papuan people remember the stories and services of great figures such as Sir Michael Somare.<\/p>\n<p>According to Haluk, the people from Sorong to Samarai sent prayers for the recovery of Sir Michael Somare.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommemorating all the great services and sacrifices for the Papuan people, from Jayapura, West Papua, we send sincere prayers for healing to Sir Somare. I hope you get better soon,&#8221; said Haluk.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article has been translated by an Asia Pacific Report correspondent from Tabloid Jubi and published with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2021\/02\/23\/west-papuans-send-prayers-for-the-recovery-of-sir-michael-somare\/\">Asia Pacific Report<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Benny Mawel in Jayapura The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has sent prayers for the recovery of the former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, who is critically ill with pancreatic cancer. Sir Michael, who is also the founder of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), is a figure who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":400,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[355,9590,5,365,387,3493,7,9591,12,431,366,623,14,9412,9592,418,359,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49494"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49494"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57712,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49494\/revisions\/57712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}