Indonesia Human Rights Committee,
30 November 2009

Media Release: West Papua Flag Raising 4-30 pm Queen St adjacent to Aotea Square Tuesday December 1

The banned West Papua Morning Star flag will be raised in busy Queen St on December 1, by Catherine Delahunty MP, a member of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua.

Auckland West Papua supporters will do this for the people of West Papua who cannot undertake this simple act without risking jail. In the past few days Indonesians troops have gone on the alert specifically to forestall in any demonstrations or flag-raising on the 48th anniversary of the first time the flag flew in what was then a Dutch ruled territory.

The flag will also be raised by human rights activists in Wellington outside Parliament (1 pm) and in Christchurch (Outside the Cathedral 11-2pm) as well as numerous places around the world.

December 1 marks the anniversary of the date in 1961 when the newly elected "West New Guinea" council first raised the Morning Star flag. Then Indonesia derailed the Dutch plans for decolonisation of the territory by intervening militarily. Indonesia incorporated West Papua in 1969 in a widely discredited “Act of Free Choice” known as the “Act of No Choice” and some 100,000 people have died in the ensuing conflict.

On November 12, three Papuan men were convicted of rebellion for raising a pro-independence flag . Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage are currently serving 15 and 10 years respectively in jail for their involvement in a flag-raising event in 2004.

Despite this repression on November 16, 2009 a Morning Star flag was raised in the capital Jayapura. Two men were subsequently arrested.

ENDS

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