Jakarta – A pro-independence leader Wednesday ordered his supporters in Indonesia's easternmost province of Irian Jaya to ignore a police order to vacate a building and lower a separatist flag flown there, a report said.

Papuan leader, Theys Piyo Eluay, said the Papua Taskforce should maintain its occupation of the Irian Jaya Cultural Center in downtown Jayapura, the capital of Irian Jaya, the state Antara news agency reported. The building has been appropriated by the taskforce as its headquarters since June.

He also told some 100 members of the taskforce, a pro-independence civilian guard, to keep the "Morning Star" separatist flag flying there until an agreement is reached over its lowering in negotiations with the local authorities.

After issuing his orders, Eluay, who heads the presidium of the pro-independence Papua Council, went into negotiations with government officials, police and military in Irian Jaya.

Eluay's order came after Jayapura Police Chief Superintendent Daud Sihombing on Monday ordered the Papua Taskforce to disband and vacate the building and to lower the Morning Star flying there.

"The governor has ordered the Satgas Papua [Papua Taskforce] to desert the ... building so that it can re-function as the government building it is," Irian Jaya police spokesman Major Zulkifli told AFP by phone.

Zulkifli said Jayapura city police had issued the order at the request of acting governor Musiran Darmosuwito, and that the deadline for it to come down was Thursday. Sihombing had earlier given Wednesday as a deadline for his order.