More protests over Papua split

More protests over Papua split

SURABAYA: Dozens of Papuan students staged a rally outside the
Surabaya City Council on Thursday to protest Jakarta's move to
split Papua into three provinces, saying it would sow disunity
among the people.

Chairman of the Surabaya Papua Student Union Nicodemus said
that all Papuan students rejected the addition of two new
provinces.

"Some of the Papuan people oppose the plan, so we, as part of
them, are here to support their aspiration," Nicodemus said.

In January, President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued a decree
dividing the resource-rich region into the provinces of Papua,
Central Papua and West Papua.

Jakarta hopes to provide more accessible public services to
the 2.4 million Papuans who live in an area about three times the
size of Java.

But the move also meant a sharp revenue cut for the previously
single provincial capital, Jayapura, and its surrounding areas.

A number of civil rights and student groups have since staged
rallies against the division. "It's better not to divide the
province; it will only divide the people of Papua," said
Nicodemus. -- Antara