An announcement on Thursday about the selection of students at the state university led to a demonstration being held by students who also blocked off the Cenderawasih university campus in Waena.

The entry to the campus was blocked off while a small bonfire was burning in the middles of the road. The demo was organised by the chairman of the Students Association of Tolikara, supported by students of the faculty of law at the university.

Speeches were made and leaflets were stuck on the walls, with demands to the rector of the university.

One of the leaflets said: "Why is it that year after year, indigenous Papuans account for less than 20 percent of the total while the other 80 percent are non-Papuans?

"We are asking the rector to account for this, bearing in mind an earlier promise that Papuans would account for 80 percent," said Terius Wakor, co-ordinator of the action. This was a promise made by the rector of UNCEN, Prof Dr B Kambuya.

"We indigenous Papuan students feel very disappointed about this because the rector promised that priority would be given to indigenous Papuans with 80 percent of the places. Yet what has happened is that only 5 percent of the Papuans were accepted into the university."

Another of the students, Thomas CH Syufi, who also took part in the demo, said: "We as representatives of the Executive Board of the Students, the BEM of the Faculty of Law, strongly support the views of our colleagues."

Following the announcement about the students who were selected, he said that they hoped that the rector would take account of the views of the indigenous Papuan students, in view of what the rector promised last year.

"We very much hope that the rector will take some action with regard to the Papuan students who did not pass the selection test". He suggested that there should be another round of testing for a second group of students to be accepted to the university.

Meanwhile the deputy rector said that while no promises had been made, there had been a commitment to increase the percentage of indigenous Papuan students. He said that at this level (SNMPTN, Indonesian State College National Entrance Exam), it was difficult to have an effect on the selection of students. He told Bintang Papua that not enough Papuans were available from the IPS, and very few had registered with the IPA programme.