Papuans protesters reject integration

Papuans protesters reject integration

About 300 protesters demonstrated outside the
Jayapura provincial council buildings on Monday against the
United Nations' decision to give Indonesia control of the
province in 1963.

The group, calling itself the Papua People's Civil Rights
Coalition, protested the United Nations Temporary Executive
Authority's (UNTEA) decision to hand over the control of Papua to
Indonesia in 1963, after Indonesia invaded the former Dutch
colony a year earlier.

The province officially became part of Indonesia in 1969 under
the controversial Act of Free Choice (Perpera).

"We, the Papuan people, challenge the handing over of the
control of West Papua to the Unitary Republic of Indonesia on May
1, 1963, because the process did not involve the Papuans and
UNTEA did not do its job according to the New York Agreement on
Aug. 15, 1962.

"And there were many ploys used by Indonesia, especially the
military, to ensure Papua's (later) integration," the coalition
said in a statement.

The Papuan people, the coalition said, requested the
international world reevaluate the Act of Free Choice and pushed
for an international dialog on the matter. The coalition rejected
any special autonomy status for the province before the matter
was settled.

A day before the protest, about 100 students and residents
gathered at Abepura Trikora field to commemorate May 1, which
they said was a day of "human rights violations", and declared
their rejection of the act. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)