Jakarta – More than 1,500 students on Friday gathered in front of the governors palace in Jayapura, the capital of the Indonesian province of Papua, demanding an end to the province's special autonomy status, which they say does not work.

The protestors called instead for dialogue with the government to decided the future of the province. "We want a three-way dialogue, involving Jakarta, a delegation from Papua and a representative from a neutral organisation," said Buchtar Tabuni, 28, one of the organisers of the protest in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

Papua, which is in the far east of the Indonesian archipelago, was annexed by Jakarta with a controversial referendum in 1969.

The law on the special autonomy status was conceeded by Jakarta in 2001 in part to respond to the demand for independence by a large part of the local population, The law, which is very wide ranging on paper, has never been applied on the ground.

"No one here forgets the bloody episode of Manokwari, Abepura and Timida," said Tabuni refering to the three areas where, recently, Indonesian security forces were accused of abuse and violence.

Since 1969, various non-governmental organisations have said that the repression by the Indonesian military in Papua has led to the deaths of between 20,000 to 100,000 people.

Tabuni said that their call for dialogue is a final attempt to open a channel of communication with Jakarta. "If it does not work, then we will ask for a referendum where the population will decide," he said.

Jakarta has always excluded the possibility of allowing another referendum in the province. The Indonesian government has been fighting a low-level insurgency for decades, with small, armed groups carrying out sporadic attacks on economic and military targets in the province. (Fsc/Aki)