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Irian Jaya independence protest in Jakarta

Source
Agence France Presse - August 29, 1998

Jakarta – About 100 protesters from the province of Irian Jaya picketed the Foreign Ministry yesterday, demanding independence for the former Dutch colony. The crowd, waving separatist "West Papua" flags and wearing "West Papua" T-shirts, sang traditional songs and brandished placards reading: "Stop colonialism in West Papua" and "Remember West Papua is a free nation".

Defence Minister and armed forces chief General Wiranto said last month that raising separatist flags was "treachery".

David Obadiri, of the Institute of the Irian Jaya Community Convention, said the province's 1.5 million people wanted independence. Mr Obadiri asked the Government to hold a dialogue with the province to "discuss our problems", which included resolving the issue of autonomy.

The protesters left after Ghafur Fadyl, director of public relations for the ministry, accepted a petition. "The claim that the people and the region of West Papua were part of Indonesia is a problem which should be re-addressed," said the petition addressed to Foreign Minister Ali Alatas. "The Papuan people and region were never directly involved in any of Indonesia's historical momentum," it said.

The petition claimed the UN-recognised referendum which led to the handover of Irian Jaya was fabricated to fulfil the political interests of Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United States and the UN.

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