Separatist flag taken down outside Theys' home

Separatist flag taken down outside Theys' home

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Police and troops lowered a separatist flag in the troubled
province of Papua, which was hoisted on Monday to celebrate the
anniversary of an independence proclamation there.

However, there were no reports of violence and local people
carried out their daily activities normally.

The government had banned attempts to mark the Dec. 1
anniversary of West Papua, including the hoisting of separatist
flags. More than 1,100 extra troops and police had been deployed
to enforce the ban.

The Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag was raised outside the
home of murdered pro-independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay in
Sentani near Jayapura, for almost three hours before it was
lowered down by security authorities.

Around 200 Papuans, who gathered there for the Dec. 1
ceremony, refrained from resisting the move.

Three members of the proindependence Papua Taskforce flew the
flag at around 5:15 a.m. Forty five minutes later, police arrived
and hoisted the red-and-white Indonesian national flag on the
same pole outside Eluay's former home.

But at 8:27 a.m. a joint police and military force led by Adj.
Comr. Hando Wibowo lowered down the separatist flag by cutting
its rope with scissors after negotiating with the committee of
the proindependence ceremony.

The authorities later seized the Bintang Kejora as evidence
while searching for the three youths who raised the flag. There
were no arrests.

During the 1999-2001 presidency of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid, local officials and the Theys-led Papua Presidium Council
(PDP) had agreed on Nov. 9, 2000 that the two flags (Indonesia's
Red & White along with the Morning Star) could be flown together.

Jhon Suebe, who chairs the Dec. 1 anniversary committee, told
the crowd attending a church service to mark the proindependence
event inside Theys' house, to remain calm despite their flag
being cut down.

He argued that what Papuans have been struggling for was not
how to fly flags but to demand their sovereignty.

While Suebe made the 7-minute speech there, participants,
particularly Theys' son Boy Eluay -- who is the Papua taskforce
commander -- shouted out demands for independence.

The ceremony led by priest Ketty Yabansabra ended peacefully
amid tight security of 300 police and military men wielding
firearms outside Theys' former house.

Local police warned Papuans against raising the separatist
flags again.

In Jakarta, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said those
attending the flag-raising at Eluay's house should face legal
punishment.

"In Indonesia, there should be no other flag flying but the
Red-and-White," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

There were no reports of other flag-raisings in Papua.

Seven people will face trial for treason after flying the
Bintang 14 (14-Star) state of West Melanesia separatist flag on
Nov. 27 at Manokwari in the west of the province.

Separatists proclaimed on Dec. 1, 1962, the state of West
Papua. Indonesia ignored the proclamation and took control of the
mountainous and forested territory from Dutch colonizers the
following year. The United Nations later recognized Papua as part
of Indonesia in 1969.

The Free Papua Organization (OPM) has waged a sporadic low-
level armed revolt since then, while the PDP and other separatist
groups have campaigned peacefully for independence.

Papuans have complained that the central government had not
given back a fair share of the province's rich natural resource
profits. Rampant human rights abuses by troops have also fueled
separatist sentiment.

In 2001, the central government granted the province special
autonomy and a greater share of the mineral wealth. But recent
plans to divide Papua into three provinces sparked discontent and
killings.