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.