Papuan council demands freedom for Irian Jaya

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Following the ouster of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, the Papuan Presidium Council announced on Tuesday the easternmost province Irian Jaya wished to separate from Indonesia.

The council's deputy chairman, Tom Beanal, however, was quick to note that the Irianese fight for independence had nothing to do with the events surrounding Abdurrahman.

"The demand is purely the wish of the Papuans. It is the Papuans who wants to be independent, not Gus Dur .... Whoever leads Indonesia, we will continue the struggle to be free," he said.

He made the statement while opening the Papuan Women's Conference, which was attended by some 500 participants, including representatives from European and Asian countries.

Abdurrahman repeatedly stated that if he was removed form office a number of provinces, including Irian Jaya and Aceh, would secede from the republic.

Tom said the integration of Irian Jaya into Indonesia was not only the wrongdoing of the Indonesian government, but also of the United Nations.

He said he would continue the struggle for independence through peaceful dialog, not violence.

"The struggle for freedom does not have to be violent. Through dialog, we will correct the history of the integration of Irian Jaya into the republic. It has to be cleared up because the vote in 1969 was full of deception," he said.

He was referring to 1969's UN-supervised Act of Free Choice, which resulted in the territory joining Indonesia.

Five of the presidium council's leaders are currently on trial at the Jayapura District Court for subversion. They are council chairman Theys Hiyo Eluay, Don A.L. Flassy, Thaha Al Hamid, the Reverend Herman Awom and John Mambor. (35/hdn)