Irian Jaya under control amid flag row, says officer
JAKARTA (JP): Order has been fully restored in Irian Jaya, which is still licking its wounds following a bloody rampage almost two weeks ago, the local military commander said on Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Albert Inkiriwang, chief of the Cendrawasih Military Command overseeing the country's largest province, told The Jakarta Post here that the security condition has returned to normal and no separatist flag is flying there.
"I just made contact with Jayapura and the Papua Presidium has accepted the government's ban on the raising of the Morning Star flag," he said after attending the ceremony marking the job transfer of former Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto to his successor Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.
The government ordered the removal of the separatist flag following riots in the Jayawijaya main town of Wamena, some 290 kilometers southwest of the province's capital Jayapura, on Oct. 6, which left 30 people dead and 45 others injured.
Albert said thousands of migrant settlers who fled Wamena following the rampage had been asked to return.
"My wife who is a physician has been in Wamena again and local people have resumed their daily activities. Merpati Nusantara Airlines has also resumed its regular flights to the town," he said.
Outgoing Irian Jaya Police chief Brig. Gen. S.Y. Wenas, told the Post by phone that the situation in Wamena has returned to normal, except for some 1,000 refugees who are still sheltering at nearby police and military compounds.
A semblance of peace was also seen in Jayapura on Wednesday following days of tension resulting from the proindependence Papuan Presidium Council's (PDP) resistance to the banning of the separatist flag.
Governor Musiran Darmosuwito urged thousands of people who are sheltering in military and police camps to return home after a deal was struck between the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) and the provincial authorities.
The local authorities finally allowed independence supporters on Tuesday to keep the remaining flag hoisted, pending the latter's meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid who had previously condoned the flying of the flag.
"We urged the residents to go back home and resume their normal activities," Musiran said.
Around 2,000 terrified residents of Jayapura's outskirting district of Sentani, are sheltering in military compounds, including the Infantry Battalion 751 Prajawirajakti.
A local journalist said, however, that many refugees turned a deaf ear to Musiran's call.
"They're afraid that another clash may take place. Who can guarantee that nothing will happen until the PDP meets with the President?" he said.
The situation gradually returned to normal in Jayapura on Wednesday as shops and business centers reopened, but schools remained closed. (rms/edt)