Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has warned the military against using violence in dealing with calls for independence in West Papua, while one of his top officials yesterday warned Papuans against acts of "treason".

"We must not act as we did in the past. Our soldiers were sent to Aceh and they attacked the people," the President said. "Soldiers must be polite. I do not believe the people are the enemy."

A week-long people's congress in West Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, ended on Sunday with a declaration of the right to independence from Indonesia. Congress participants said the incorporation of the province into Indonesia in 1969 was flawed legally and was therefore null and void. They said they stood by a declaration of independence in 1961.

Late yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak said Jakarta would maintain both "defensive" and "passive" measures in dealing with the separatist calls. "We will maintain a peaceful situation in Irian Jaya and will not act in an excessive manner," he said. But he warned any action to win independence would amount to "treason" and would be seen as a bid to invite "repressive measures" by security forces.