Irian Jaya under control amid flag row, says officer
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)