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Show Of Solidarity With The West Papuan People
30 November 2011
Two councils in Sydney will raise the West Papuan flag on their town Halls for 1st December
In a show of solidarity with the West Papuan people, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils will raise the West Papuan national flag, The Morning Star on their town halls in Sydney on the 1st December. AWPA supporters and West Papuan representatives will also be in attendance.
Joe Collins of AWPA said "its now 50 years since the Morning Star was first flown and the West Papuan people are still struggling for their self determination. The outlawing of the raising of a flag is in direct contravention of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (which Indonesia signed in 2006)". Article 19.2 states
2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
AWPA is
concerned that the Indonesian security forces will crack
down on rallies planned in West Papua for this special day
in West Papuan history.
There are reports that the
authorities are increasing security in Papua amid rumors of
unrest ahead of events scheduled for the 50th anniversary of
the raising of the flag in 1961.
Residents have also reported receiving fear-mongering text messages warning of possible unrest or violence on the 1st. Extra troops have been brought in to help with security.
Extract from an Antara news report:
"The national police plan to send a company of Mobile Brigade personnel from North Sulawesi to help ensure security in the region. "We are ready to send a company of Mobile Brigade personnel from North Sulawesi to help security maintenance in Jayapura," National Police spokesman Inspector General Saud Usman Nasution said after attending the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the police and the BPKP (government auditing agency). He said some 800 personnel were now still on duty in Papua. The number did not include security personnel stationed at PT Freeport Indonesia numbering 888. "Besides them there are still 300 plus 200 additional personnel to help organic units there," he said."
AWPA has written to
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd concerning West Papua national
Flag Day. AWPA has asked the Foreign Minister to use his
good offices with the Indonesian Government asking that it
controls its security forces in West Papua, urging that the
security forces should be kept in their barracks during any
West Papuan celebrations on the 1st December as a way of
avoiding possible bloodshed. AWPA also urged the foreign
minister to ask the Indonesian Government to allow full and
free access of journalists to Papua and to send Australian
embassy staff to monitor and observe events on December
1".
Two of the representatives elected by the Papua Peace
Conference held from 5-7 July 2011 will join in the raising
of the Morning Star Flag to mark its 50th anniversary. Three
of the 5 negotiators were in Australia to have meeting with
Academics and Civil Society groups on the current situation
in West Papua.
ENDS
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