Chris McCall, Merauke – West Papuans will not let the separatist flag be brought down in the south even if their leaders agree, their regional chief says.

Januarius Wiwaron's vow came amid heightened tension in the vast southern district of Merauke, where separatist Papuan Guards killed a non-Papuan migrant earlier this year. At about the same time, a pro-independence Papuan was shot and killed by police during a demonstration.

Mr Wiwaron estimated 1,000 copies of the banned Morning Star flag were still flying in the district. With more than 300,000 people, it covers virtually the entire area south of the central Jayawijaya mountains.

The price of bringing the flag down would be chaos, he warned, blaming Jakarta politicians for inconsistent and confusing statements. "It is just like children with a kite. Let it go up, let it go down. But the Papuan people say – no, it is not a kite," said Mr Wiwaron, regional chairman of the Papuan Panel.

Since non-Papuan migrants were slaughtered in the hill town of Wamena earlier this month, tension has grown in Merauke town, which also has a large migrant community. Some migrants have started making home-made weapons to defend themselves in case of attack, despite assurances they are safe from separatist leaders.

Mr Wiwaron said the flag was unlikely to come down on orders from separatist leader Theys Eluay, who hails from the north. "The people say no. The traditional elders say it has gone up, let it stay up. They will still reject it. It would mean the Papuan people have lost and we cannot be independent. It stays up until we get independence – that is what the people say. They are stubborn. In Merauke town maybe it can be brought down. But if it is, later there will be chaos."

Despite a crackdown in Wamena, the separatist flag is still flying freely in Merauke town. Police have issued four separate deadlines for it to come down, the most recent on October 19 when a province-wide deadline was issued. So far none have been met.

In the vast southern plains of West Papua, the Morning Star flag was still flying in virtually every village, Mr Wiwaron said, generally at the offices of cultural associations and at the homes of village heads.

Mr Wiwaron said there was an understanding that separatists would discuss the issue with police again in the first week of December. However, he predicted another delay and said there would definitely be no agreement before Mr Eluay met President Abdurrahman Wahid to discuss the issue. "They must meet," Mr Wiwaron said.