Over 40 Papuans held for flying separatist flags

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Police in the West Papuan town of Manokwari arrested 42 people on Thursday for raising an independence flag on the anniversary of one of the province's self-declared independence days.

Manokwari Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dedy Kusnady said a group raised the Morning-Star flag in the compound of an elementary school in Amban, while another flag was hoisted at a transmitter belonging to state-owned Radio Republik Indonesia in Reremi.

"Led by a man named Yohakim Mensi, these people raised the flag at the elementary school at dawn on Thursday. We lowered it hours later, or at around 7:00 a.m., when these suspected people were still there."

He said no arrests had been made in connection to the second incident as "no one was there when we arrived."

Dedy said the incidents were related to the declaration of the state of West Papua by Michaeil Kareth on Nov. 27, 1997 in Port Moresby, the capital of neighboring Papua New Guinea.

"By questioning these people, we hope that we can find those who sponsored the flag raising," Dedy told The Jakarta Post by phone from Manokwari.

"They can be charged with treason as stipulated by Article 106 of the Criminal Code."

The article carries a maximum sentence of life in jail.

It was the second time that Yohakim had allegedly raised the independence flag. Last Saturday, he allegedly flew a flag inside the compound of another junior high school in Manokwari.

"I'm glad that the hoisting of the flags did not affect local people doing their daily activities. Most local people were not provoked by the action," Dedy said.

A low-level secessionist group called the Free Papua Movement (OPM) has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since the 1960s. It celebrates its independence anniversary on Dec. 1.

Calls for independence ebbed when Jakarta, in January 2002, introduced special autonomy that gave greater authority to the Papuan administration.

However, the government has failed to initiate any real change and resistance to the government in perhaps the least developed part of Indonesia is again mounting.

Local officials, many from outside the province, prohibited Papuans from hoisting the flag or celebrating independence during a meeting last Monday.

Attending the Monday meeting were, among others, Papua governor J.P. Salossa, Trikora Military Commander Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Budi Utomo and speaker of Papua council John Ibo.

"Papua has been part of the unitary Republic of Indonesia since 1963, therefore the hoisting of a flag other than the red- and-white national flag is not allowed across this land, and those who violate the law should be punished under the Indonesian legal system," Salossa said Monday, adding that security personnel would be on alert for any Dec. 1 commemorations.

Indonesia, which took control of the mountainous, jungle-clad territory from the Dutch in 1963, has warned that it would not tolerate any celebration of the anniversary.

Under the administration of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, Papuans were once allowed to raise the flag, arguing that it was a cultural symbol and did not reflect political sovereignty.

He, nevertheless, said the Morning-Star should not be raised higher than the Indonesian flag.

Later on, the administration banned the hoisting of the Morning-Star because "it had been misused as a symbol of the separatist cause."