All police units based along the country's borders have been instructed to fly the red-and-white flag all along the borders, to welcome Independence Day on 17 August 2008.

In addition, police units in regions affected by separatism and conflict are instructed to fly as many flags as possible, according to an instruction from police headquarters.

A senior police officer said the purpose was to reinforce the spirit of nationalism of all citizens which seems to have lagged recently. This is evident from the number of conflicts between groups. "We fear that Indonesia is in danger of breaking up, like what happened to Russia and Yugoslavia," he said.

Another sign of the diminution of the national spirit was that people were paying more attention to their personal interests, while the interests of the nation were being neglected.

"It is therefore our aim," he said, "on the 100th anniversary of the national uprising and the 63rd anniversary of Indonesian independence to call upon all citizens to unite and build the country into an integrated nation."

To support these efforts of the police, the organisation of retired police officers will distribute 100,000 red-and-white flags, to be flown in particular along the outer boundaries of the country and in regions of conflict. The priority areas are: Aceh, Papua, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and NTT.