Jakarta – A group in the remote Indonesian province of Irian Jaya has called for a mass rally in support of independence from Indonesia, the official Antara news agency said Monday.

Antara said that leaflets circulating in Jayapura, the main town of Irian Jaya, called for a peaceful rally at the Mandala open sports stadium in Jayapura on October 2. The leaflets signed by its "action coordinator", Sem Yaru, said the rally would be attended by government offifials, religious and tribal leaders as well as many public figures. The leaflets said the rally will become an official platform for a dialogue between the government and tribal leaders on the demand for independence for the state of Papua.

The leaflets, according to Antara, appeared to claim that the church was in support of the rally, but the agency also quoted the head of the Irian Jaya Synod of Christian Churches, Herman Saud, as denying support. In a statement published by Antara, Saud said that the synod reminded its flock not to be incited and take part in demonstrations, arson, looting, the raising of the Free Western Papua flag and calls for independence from the Republic of Indonesia. The statement labelled the circulating leaflets as political engineering to legitimise the political aims of irresponsible parties.