Rapa Nui ‘atrocity’ recalled

The people of Rapa Nui have come to the Cook Islands to make their voices heard, and to rally the support of their Polynesian cousins and the international decision-makers gathered here for the Pacific Islands Forum.

Their primary mission was to make an application, in person, for admission to the Polynesian Leaders’ Group, which they did last Saturday.

Erity Teave, who is in Rarotonga with the leaders of both the Rapa Nui Parliament and the Rapa Nui Community, yesterday approached United Nations Women head Michelle Bachelet (who is also the former president of Chile) to plead Rapa Nui’s case.

In Spanish she begged Bachelet to consider the human rights of her people, which she says have been compromised by the people of Chile.

Like French Polynesia’s president, she and her delegation are using the Forum to publicise their struggle for self-determination.

They want the Forum to acknowledge their bid to take the Chilean government to the international court of Hague over an incident that transpired in December 2010.

It was an internationally-publicised incident in which Chilean police – Rapa Nui was annexed by Chile in 1888 – fired rubber bullets at Rapa Nui inhabiting buildings they claimed were illegally taken from their ancestors.

The Rapa Nui say 19 locals were injured, and Chilean officials have maintained that 17 police officers and eight civilians were hurt in the scuffle.

“The issue (traces) back to December 2010 when the special armed forces from Chile came to our island and started shooting guns at the people and mistreating them and hitting women and children,” Teave told Cook Islands News with palpable emotion.

“It was an atrocity that happened in the islands, and (just) because people were complaining about their rights to their ancestors’ land and complaining about their right to control the border so (there is) no more migration from Chile. (Chileans) take away the jobs (and) bring crime to the island.”

Teave says she and her people are advocating for an inter-regional court before which to take human rights abuses.

She told Bachelet yesterday that she mistrusts Chile’s justice system, and said she wants someone independent to heed the grievances of her people.

Teave and her contingent have expressed their gratitude to the people of Rarotonga, and in particular their host Pa Ariki, for the grace and hospitality extended to them.