Images: Concerned Expat Reports From West Papua

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Demonstrators from WPNA Held Demonstration in front of the Office of DPRD

Hundreds of Papuans who claimed to be the group from West Papua National Authority (WPNA) and students from the University of Papua (UNIPA), Monday (22 March), held a demonstration in front of the office building of Papua Barat house of representatives (DPRD). In the demonstration, they demanded the DPRD to facilitate the West Papuan people to meet President Barack Obama when he visits Indonesia.

The demonstration was heavily guarded by the Indonesian police from POLRES Manokwari. The police officers were also walking along side the group from WPNA which started their rally from the Sport Stadium of Sanggeng. From other direction, demonstrators who were mostly students started their rally from the campus of UNIPA in Amban area of Manokwari. The two groups of demonstrators met at the traffic light of Makalauw cross road and then continued walking to the office of DPRD of Papua Barat. The rally from the two groups caused traffic congestion along the Yos Sudarso and Merdeka streets.

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Carrying banners, pamphlets, the mass along the rally delivered their orations. In front of the office of DPRD of West Papua, the demonstrators and the police were involved in tough negotiation. The mass who wanted to enter the parking lot of the office of DPRD were blocked by barricades of the Indonesian police.

After the negotiation, only some representatives of the demonstrators were allowed to meet members of DPRD of the West Papua province. This was rejected by the demonstrators, they demanded that the members of the DPRD had to come out of the building to meet them.

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The police finally approved their demand and three members of the DPRD who were in the building came out to meet the demonstrators. After meeting with the members of the DPRD, the demonstrators read their demands.

The coordinator of the action, Zeth Wambrauw in his statement strongly supports the presence of the President of the United States in Jakarta in June. Also in his statement, they demand the DPRD to facilite them to meet the President of the United States of America Barack Obama. In addition, they urged the government of Indonesia to withdraw organic and non-organic troops from Papua land, because they have made the Papua land as Daerah Operasi Militer (DOM). Strongly these groups also reject Papua-Jakarta (unless it internationally mediated, especially by the UN). Their other aspirations are the closing of Freeport, and the review of PEPERA or what is so called "Act of Free Choice".

After reading their statement, they delivered it to members of the DPRD of West Papua province. Then the demonstrators went home peacefully. Meanwhile the members of the DPRD said that they would deliver the statement from the demonstrators to the Central Government.

ENDS

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