Papua commemoration banned, police arrest 13

Papua commemoration banned, police arrest 13

Nethy Dharma Somba and Fabiola Desy Undjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Jayapura/Jakarta

Police in Manokwari, Papua, arrested on Wednesday 13 people who
raised the Morning Star flag to mark the fifth anniversary of
Papuan independence.

Also on Wednesday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued a
decree banning of all ceremonies celebrating Papuan independence.

The spokesman for the Papua Police, Sr. Comr. Josef Iswanto,
confirmed here on Wednesday the 13 people were detained after
they raised the Papuan flag in the yard of the YPK Kanindi
elementary school in the town of Manokwari.

The police do not know if those arrested belong to any
political or social groups. The Papua Presidium Council (PDP)
said earlier it would hold a flag-raising ceremony on Dec. 1 at
the former residence of PDP chairman Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluay,
who was allegedly killed by soldiers on Nov. 10, 2001, in
Sentani, some 40 kilometers north of Jayapura.

Antara news agency reported from Manokwari the police has
arrested some 40 people in the regency, including the 13 involved
in the flag-raising ceremony.

PDP secretary-general Thaha Al Hamid said he received
information that followers of separatist leader Michael Kareth
would celebrate Papuan independence in Manokwari on Nov. 27,
because according to them Papuan independence was declared in
Sweden on Nov. 27, 1997. He added that the PDP was not
responsible for any independence celebrations other than the one
to be held in Sentani.

Ade Heatubun, deputy chairman of the Manokwari legislative
council, said that according to information he received a few
days ago, the 13 detained Papuans belonged to Kareth's group.

Also on Wednesday, Megawati called on the authorities in Papua
to take strict action against those celebrating Papuan
independence.

She did not specifically refer to the planned celebration at
the late Theys' residence in Sentani.

"No activities are allowed to commemorate the self-proclaimed
Papuan independence on Dec. 1. The government will take stern
measures to disperse any such activities," Megawati said as
quoted by Indonesian Evangelist Association chairman Rev. Bambang
Widjaja.

Bambang said that during the meeting the President asked him
to help deliver the message to Christian adherents in Papua.

"Churches were asked to circulate news of the ban as part of
our commitment to supporting the country's territorial
integrity," Bambang said.

December is always a crucial month for the security
authorities in Aceh and Papua, two provinces that celebrate their
own independence anniversaries. PDP and Free Papua plan to
celebrate the 41st anniversary of Papuan independence on Dec. 1,
while the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will celebrate the 26th
anniversary of Aceh independence on Dec. 4.

The police warned Papuans against raising separatist flags,
which deny Jakarta's control over the territory.

"It has been regulated that the raising of the separatist
Bintang Kejora flag is totally prohibited," said Indonesian
Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Basyir Barmawi.

According to Basyir, the Indonesian Police would not tolerate
any parties who ignored the warning.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto said foreign intervention was hampering TNI's efforts to
maintain Papua as an Indonesian province.

In an hearing with House of Representative Commission I for
security and foreign affairs, Endriartono said a number of
foreign countries with interests in Papua were harming the
security situation in the country's eastern-most province.

"I am not optimistic we can solve the separatist problems in
Papua ... because the province has more potential (than Aceh to
become independent) because it has the support of many foreign
countries," Endriartono said without elaborating.

The TNI's chief of general affairs, Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago,
said the separatist movement in Papua used diplomacy to seek
international support for the province's independence, leaving
the military at a loss as to how to deal with the problem.

"We can only deal with armed struggles like in Aceh ... we are
not allowed to deal at a political level ... that's the
difference between the separatist movements in Papua and Aceh,"
Djamari said.

Separatist movements in both Papua and Aceh, two resource-rich
provinces, gathered pace after the government proved itself
unable to improve the welfare of the people in the provinces or
to bring justice those guilty of human rights abuses in the
areas.

The situation in the provinces is still tense even though the
government has offered them special authority to handle their own
affairs under special autonomy schemes.