Jakarta – Demonstrators wearing traditional Papuan tribal dress marched Saturday to protest an Indonesian government plan to divide Papua into three provinces.

More than 100 protesters chanted "Free Papua from legal and illegal military operations" at the rally in Jakarta, about 3,600 kilometers west of the province.

They accused authorities of triggering riots in Papua two months ago in which at least five people died in clashes between anti-government and pro-government supporters. "The government's plan is to destabilize Papua," said Alien, a protester who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

Indonesia's government recently passed a law to divide Papua, which borders independent Papua New Guinea, into three provinces: West Papua, Papua and Central Papua. But after the deadly riots, the central government postponed enactment of the law.

Critics say the proposed division of the province undermines legislation passed in 2000 pledging to grant greater autonomy and a larger slice of revenue to Papua, where separatists maintain a low-level insurgency against Jakarta's rule.

Indonesia took over Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, from the Dutch in 1963. Its sovereignty over the region was formalized in 1969 through a UN-sponsored vote by traditional leaders.