Separatist flag taken down outside Theys' home<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua<\/p>\n
Police and troops lowered a separatist flag in the troubled
\nprovince of Papua, which was hoisted on Monday to celebrate the
\nanniversary of an independence proclamation there.<\/p>\n
However, there were no reports of violence and local people
\ncarried out their daily activities normally.<\/p>\n
The government had banned attempts to mark the Dec. 1
\nanniversary of West Papua, including the hoisting of separatist
\nflags. More than 1,100 extra troops and police had been deployed
\nto enforce the ban.<\/p>\n
The Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag was raised outside the
\nhome of murdered pro-independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay in
\nSentani near Jayapura, for almost three hours before it was
\nlowered down by security authorities.<\/p>\n
Around 200 Papuans, who gathered there for the Dec. 1
\nceremony, refrained from resisting the move.<\/p>\n
Three members of the proindependence Papua Taskforce flew the
\nflag at around 5:15 a.m. Forty five minutes later, police arrived
\nand hoisted the red-and-white Indonesian national flag on the
\nsame pole outside Eluay's former home.<\/p>\n
But at 8:27 a.m. a joint police and military force led by Adj.
\nComr. Hando Wibowo lowered down the separatist flag by cutting
\nits rope with scissors after negotiating with the committee of
\nthe proindependence ceremony.<\/p>\n
The authorities later seized the Bintang Kejora as evidence
\nwhile searching for the three youths who raised the flag. There
\nwere no arrests.<\/p>\n
During the 1999-2001 presidency of Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\"
\nWahid, local officials and the Theys-led Papua Presidium Council
\n(PDP) had agreed on Nov. 9, 2000 that the two flags (Indonesia's
\nRed & White along with the Morning Star) could be flown together.<\/p>\n
Jhon Suebe, who chairs the Dec. 1 anniversary committee, told
\nthe crowd attending a church service to mark the proindependence
\nevent inside Theys' house, to remain calm despite their flag
\nbeing cut down.<\/p>\n
He argued that what Papuans have been struggling for was not
\nhow to fly flags but to demand their sovereignty.<\/p>\n
While Suebe made the 7-minute speech there, participants,
\nparticularly Theys' son Boy Eluay -- who is the Papua taskforce
\ncommander -- shouted out demands for independence.<\/p>\n
The ceremony led by priest Ketty Yabansabra ended peacefully
\namid tight security of 300 police and military men wielding
\nfirearms outside Theys' former house.<\/p>\n
Local police warned Papuans against raising the separatist
\nflags again.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said those
\nattending the flag-raising at Eluay's house should face legal
\npunishment.<\/p>\n
\"In Indonesia, there should be no other flag flying but the
\nRed-and-White,\" he was quoted by AFP as saying.<\/p>\n
There were no reports of other flag-raisings in Papua.<\/p>\n
Seven people will face trial for treason after flying the
\nBintang 14 (14-Star) state of West Melanesia separatist flag on
\nNov. 27 at Manokwari in the west of the province.<\/p>\n
Separatists proclaimed on Dec. 1, 1962, the state of West
\nPapua. Indonesia ignored the proclamation and took control of the
\nmountainous and forested territory from Dutch colonizers the
\nfollowing year. The United Nations later recognized Papua as part
\nof Indonesia in 1969.<\/p>\n
The Free Papua Organization (OPM) has waged a sporadic low-
\nlevel armed revolt since then, while the PDP and other separatist
\ngroups have campaigned peacefully for independence.<\/p>\n
Papuans have complained that the central government had not
\ngiven back a fair share of the province's rich natural resource
\nprofits. Rampant human rights abuses by troops have also fueled
\nseparatist sentiment.<\/p>\n
In 2001, the central government granted the province special
\nautonomy and a greater share of the mineral wealth. But recent
\nplans to divide Papua into three provinces sparked discontent and
\nkillings.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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