Salossa bans 'Independence Day'
Salossa bans 'Independence Day'
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua
The Papua provincial government has prohibited Papuans from
celebrating Papuan Independence Day on Dec. 1, according to a
circular made available to reporters on Monday.
The circular was signed by Papua governor J.P. Solossa, the
chief of Trikora military command overseeing Papua province, Maj.
Gen. Nurdin Zainal, Papua police chief Insp. Gen. Budi Utomo and
the acting head of Papua Prosecutor's Office, Arwo Hadi Sadjufri.
"Any attempts to celebrate the Independence Day of Papua will
be dealt with sternly, in accordance with the law," Solossa
warned, while reading out the circular.
Solossa did not go into details as to the legal recourse that
would be taken against violators who celebrated Papuan
Independence Day.
Papua province was incorporated in 1963 into Indonesian
territory, and therefore, all Papuans are bound to Indonesian
rules and regulations, said Solossa.
The governor made it clear that all Papuans were prohibited
from flying Papua's Morning Star flag and from conducting any
other activities to commemorate Independence Day.
"We are part of the unitary state of Indonesia, and we shall
not conduct activities that go against the wishes of the
Indonesian government, especially any activities that will lead
to the creation of a state within state," he said.
He was certain that the Indonesian government would not let an
inch of Papuan soil out of its control, and stiff sentences would
be imposed on those trying to fight for an independent Papua.
In response to the call, spokesman of the Papuan Presidium
Council (PDP) Rev. Herman Awom confirmed that the PDP would not
hold any activities to mark Independence Day, as it had several
years before.
Awom was concerned that if such activities were carried out it
would be met with a backlash from the government, and could cause
conflict in Papua that would only bring losses to innocent
Papuans.
Papuan Independence Day has been celebrated in Papua since
1998, after the ouster of president Soeharto.
Last year, some 500 students celebrated the day by holding a
protest in front of the house of the late Papuan separatist
leader Theys Hiyo Eluay, who was murdered by Indonesian Military
personnel in Nov. 2001.
Seven people were arrested during the protest on suspicion of
attempting to incite violence and attack government offices.
Awom cautioned that, considering a possible backlash from the
Indonesian government, Papuans should not openly fight for a free
Papua for the time being. "Keep the spirit of freedom in your
hearts," he said.
The call by Awom is timely, as Trikora military commander
Nurdin Zainal recently ordered his troops to remain vigilant and
to beef up security in the province before, during and after
Papuan Independence Day, in order to prevent conflicts from
arising in the troubled province.
The alert was necessary, he said, because Dec. 1 was often
used as an opportunity to fuel the separatist movement.
Since 1963, the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) had waged
an armed revolt in the province for an independent Papua.