Jakarta – Papua Police has reiterated warnings over any attempt to raise the morning star flag, a symbol of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist movement, to commemorate the movement's anniversary which falls on Dec. 1.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Bagus Eko Danto said police would not tolerate the raising of the flag anywhere in the province, Antara news agency reported Thursday.

"I will not allow any group of people to raise the bintang kejora (morning star) flag on December 1," Bagus said in Jayapura on Thursday.

He said police had rejected a permission request from a group in Puncak Jaya to hoist the flag on Dec. 1, adding that local authorities had taken down flags that were seen flying in the district.

"Police and military officers have gone to the area where the flags were reportedly flying, but learned they had already been taken down," he said.

The morning star flag represented the territory of West New Guinea, where West Papua province now stands, from Dec. 1, 1961, until Oct. 1, 1962, when the territory came under the administration of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA).

The territory was later internationally recognized as an Indonesian province following the controversial 1969 UN-supervised "Act of Free Choice" which resulted in the territory joining Indonesia. (dre)