Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Residents of Papua's Pegunungan Bintang regency on Tuesday voiced their opposition to the proposed formation of a new province.

After five regents on Monday issued a joint statement in Jayapura for an autonomous province that would include Pegunungan Bintang, people in Oksibil, the regency's capital, staged a rally rejecting the plan.

"People strongly oppose the plan. We wish to remain an integral part of Papua. Hundreds of people have protested against the decision of the five regents," Pegunungan Bintang legislative speaker Theo B. Opki told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Theo said residents were against the proposal on the grounds Pegunungan Bintang was still a new regency, in need of administrative improvements, so there were no reason to be involved in the additional task of forming a new province.

Pegunungan Bintang, Yahukimo and Tolikara regencies emerged from Jayawijaya regency in 2002 alongside 11 other regencies in Papua.

The main stumbling block, said Theo, was territorial isolation since each of the districts could be reached only by air, an expensive mode of transportation.

"We don't have any overland access and it costs a lot to visit people in rural areas since we have to travel by air. We need to address this problem first and not demand a new province," he said.

Theo said Pegunungan Bintang Regent Wellington Wenda, one of the five regents who called for the establishment of the new province, had never informed citizens or the local legislature of his plans for such a move. People considered the decision based on his personal interests, Theo said.

The five regents formed a mediating team led by Regent Wellington Wenda, and the team met with Papua legislative vice speaker Paskalis Kosay and Papua People's Assembly (MRP) chairman Agus Alua Alue.

"Their wish to separate is just a proposal and they have not yet conveyed the matter officially to the MRP," said Agus after the meeting.

The team left for Jakarta on Tuesday to meet President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Home Minister Mardiyanto and Commission II members of the House of Representatives.