No violence as Papuans attend May 1 prayer

JAYAPURA, IRIAN JAYA (JP): Thousands turned out to attend a mass prayer commemorating "political rights violations in Papua" here on Monday.

Before the prayer, thousands of indigenous Papuans, led by local leader Theys Eluay, marched through Jayapura seven times in remembrance of what they called the political rights violations committed by the governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands.

It was on May 1, 1963, that the Netherlands handed over Irian Jaya to the Indonesia government under the auspices of the United Nations.

No violence was reported during the rally, which was tightly guarded by police and the Papua Task Force. Rumors had been circulated that during the May 1 commemoration, Papuan leaders would take over the administration of the country's easternmost province from the government.

There were also rumors that nonindigenous people and migrants would be forcefully expelled from the province.

Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Ingkiriwang said these rumors had caused unrest among the people in Irian Jaya. According to Ingkiriwang, Irian Jaya is the target of "invisible hands" who want to create violence in the province.

And Theys Eluay said the rumors were spread by those who wanted to create unrest. "We Papuans want to separate from Indonesia peacefully."

Separately, dozens of Irian Jaya natives who reside in Greater Jakarta staged demonstrations on Monday at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and in front of the United Nations building in Central Jakarta, to demand sovereignty over the province.

They said Irian Jaya was victimized by an international plot between Indonesia, the United States and its allies when the province was handed over to Indonesia in 1963.

"Thousands of Papuans have been killed, raped and prosecuted over the last 37 years, while we have never been given the chance to determine our own future," said one demonstrator.

The demonstrators also accused the government of being discriminative by investigating human rights violations in Aceh, Lampung, Jakarta and Banyuangi, while taking no action to stop ongoing abuses in Irian Jaya.

Meanwhile, Papuan figures and a political expert called on the government to stop human rights violations in Irian Jaya and give the province special autonomy to help ease tensions.

Morin, a Golkar Party legislator from Biak, said the government should withdraw soldiers from rural and remote areas of the province and enforce the law to create a feeling of safety among locals.

"Most locals do not feel free to go about their daily activities because of the presence of soldiers in their villages," he said during a panel discussion here on Monday.

Two activists from Jayapura, Willem Saloki and Jimmy, said they had lost confidence in the government and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) because of their failure to seek a comprehensive solution to the Papuan issue.

Ikrar Nusa, a political expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, warned the government against the increasing demand for independence in Irian Jaya, saying separatist activities involved not only the Free Papua Movement but also university students. (eba/sur/rms)