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Papuan hero Frans Kaisiepo to feature on Rp 10,000 banknote
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A bank clerk readies bundles of rupiah to pay out to customers. (TEMPO/*)
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or the first time since 1965, when Papua became part of the Republic of Indonesia, the image of a Papuan national hero will feature on a banknote released by Bank of Indonesia (BI).
“A picture of a hero from Papua, Frans Kaisiepo, has been selected to be the main picture on the front side of the Rp 10,000 banknote. This is the first time that the image of a hero from Papua will be the main picture on a rupiah banknote,” Joko Supraktikt, the head of the central bank’s Papuan office, said Thursday in Jayapura.
Joko said banknotes featuring Kaisiepo’s image would be released along with six other banknotes and four coins.
Joko said to put Kaisiepo’s picture on the banknote, the bank needed to obtain approval from the hero’s heirs. “They gave us the nod,” he said.
BI’s Papua and West Papua representative offices proposed four figures to the headquarters: Marthen Indey, Silas Papare, Johannes Abraham Dimara and Kaisiepo.
Kaisiepo was born in 1921 and died in 1979. He was the first Papuan governor of Papua, which was called Irian Jaya at the time, from 1964 to 1973. “The 1965 Papua referendum was held under his administration,” Joko said.
Joko said with the selection of Kaisiepo BI wanted to convey its respect for Papua. He said Rp 10,000 banknotes were the most used in Indonesia. (evi)
