WWW.INFOPAPUA.ORG
West Papua News and Information
West Papua Net | Warta Papua Barat | Free West Papua Campaign (UK) | West Papua Action (Ireland) 

Last Updated: Aug 25th, 2010 - 02:12:05
WPNews Online 
 
 INFO PAPUA
 Guerilla
 Political & Diplomacy
 Editorial/ Opinion
 United Nations Review
 West Papua News
 Awareness
 Talks & Shows
 Demo & Protest
 Press Releases
 Publication
 Personal Accounts
 Political Dialogue
 
 Statements
 
 Papuan Human Rights
 
 Eco-Terrorism
 
 Indo Neocolonialism
 
 Refugee Issue
 
 War on Terror
 
 Melanesia Roundup
 
 WARTA PAPUA MERDEKA DALAM GAMBAR

 

PLEASE HELP US:

DONATE with PayPal

We need your support to keep our websites and campaigns going.

We need your contributions to assist us with our Human Rights campaigns.

Please use the PayPal Donate button above to help the people of West Papua

 

Search

INFO PAPUA : Awareness : Demo & Protest

Papuans call for vote on self-determination
By Taipe Time
Jul 9, 2010, 04:13

 		Email this article
 Printer friendly page
AFP , JAYAPURA, INDONESIA
Friday, Jul 09, 2010, Page 4

Thousands of Papuans rallied yesterday to urge the provincial parliament to demand a referendum on self-determination and reject the region’s special autonomy within Indonesia.

An upper house of tribal leaders, the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP), voted last month to reject Papua’s autonomous status, introduced in 2001 after the fall of the Suharto military dictatorship in Jakarta.

Witnesses said more than 2,000 Papuans in Jayapura, some of them wearing traditional outfits, marched about 17km from the MRP’s office to the provincial parliament building.

“Special autonomy has failed to protect the rights of indigenous Papuans,” protest leader Markus Haluk said.

“We want to urge Papua’s provincial parliament to hold a plenary meeting to declare that special autonomy is a failure and return it back to the central government,” he said.

Haluk said the Indonesian government and Papuans, who are indigenous Melanesians, needed to establish a dialogue in which the UN or a neutral country would act as mediator.

“It’s as if Papua is a dark cave, which is always closed and guarded by the government,” he said. “Papuan people want a referendum as a solution to our problem.”

The provincial parliament canceled a meeting that was supposed to be held yesterday over the request for a referendum.

“This is a political issue and we’re still waiting for other political groups in the parliament to make their decision,” Golkar party lawmaker Yan Ayomi said.

Papua has been the scene of a low-level insurgency for decades and despite Indonesia’s vast security presence in the region, Jakarta remains extremely sensitive about any sign of separatism.

Indonesia has sent mixed messages about its willingness to loosen its grip on Papua, offering talks with separatist rebels on one hand while jailing and killing their leaders on the other.

Access to foreign journalists in the area has been restricted by the government.

This story has been viewed 161 times.

© Copyright by w@tchPAPUA

Top of Page
Demo & Protest
Latest Headlines
Photos News: FWPC Demo at the Indonesia Embassy in London 2011
Photos News London: Free West Papua Campaign Raised the Morning Star Flag at the Rio Tinto Head Quarter in Paddington London 2011.
Photos News London: Free West Papua Campaign Marching to the Rio Tinto Head Quarter in Paddington London 2011.
Photos News London: FWPC Raising the Morning Star Flag at the Indonesian Embassy in London 2011
West Papua Solidarity from Papua New Guinea raising Morning Star Flag in Papua New Guinea
West Papua Solidarity from Australia raising Morning Star Flag at the Town Hall in Australia .
West Papua Solidarity from New Zealand raising Morning Star Flag at New Zealand Parliament building .
West Papua Solidarity from East Timor raising Morning Star Flag in East Timor
West Papua Solidarity from Kanaki raising Morning Star Flag at the Indonesia Embassy in New Caledonia.
Photos News From Nabire: Demo Demand Referendum for West Papua