Denpasar – Dozens of students and youths from Papua held a street rally in front of Bali's provincial legislative compound on Monday to oppose the government decision to split up the province into three.

They argued that the division would trigger horizontal and vertical conflicts in the country's easternmost province.

"This will hurt the people and create division among the Papuans," said field coordinator Wens Edowai.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued on January 27 decree No. 1/2003 dividing Papua into three provinces – Papua, Central Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya provinces. The decree has received strong opposition from Papuan leaders, who argued that the move was in direct violation of the special autonomy law introduced on January 1, 2002. Under the law, the division of Papua can only be done with the approval of the Papuan provincial legislature.

The students argued that the decision to split up the province was part of the Jakarta's "divide and rule policy" to crush a secessionist movement there with military might.