Jakarta – At least 15,000 separatists staged a peaceful protest in the Irian Jaya town of Manokwari yesterday to mark the 1969 referendum that turned the island into an Indonesian province. The Papuans covered a monument commemorating the referendum with black cloth, saying it was a monument to a historical lie.

The ceremony at the People's Referendum Monument was led by the chairman of the Manokwari Tribal Institute, Mr Barnabas Mandacan, the state Antara news agency said. The separatist "Morning Star" flag was raised, along with the Indonesian red-and-white emblem.

For years, raising the Morning Star flag was outlawed in Irian Jaya, now known officially as West Papua. The crowd dispersed peacefully after four hours.