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Jakarta-Papua tensions rise in Melbourne, Ambon
Several Papuan students in Ambon, Maluku, reportedly received intimidation and verbal abuse from locals and TNI personnel ahead of the Dec. 1 rally.
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Papuan students and lawyers from Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Ansor Ambon and LBH Pelita Harapan gather at the students' dormitory in Ambon, Maluku, following an incident in which the students said local residents had surrounded the building and trapped the students inside for 17 hours. (Courtesy of LBH Ansor Ambon/-)
T
ensions between Jakarta and Papua have risen in Melbourne, Australia, and Ambon, Maluku, as Papuans celebrate what they have claimed as the birth date of the West Papua nation, Dec. 1.
The Foreign Ministry has filed a protest to the Australian government over an incident where the Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag, a symbol of the Papuan independence movement, was shown at the Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said several unidentified persons had broken into the consulate to raise the Bintang Kejora flag.
“It happened in the morning and lasted about 15 minutes. They trespassed, put up [the flag] and then took it down,” Faizasyah said on Wednesday, tempo.co reported.
He said the local police soon after arrived at the consulate for an investigation.
“The government condemns this activity and has asked the Australian authorities to punish the trespassers,” Faizasyah said.
The incident was posted on Twitter by user @Tbuch2, who said several people had entered the consulate grounds and two climbed atop of the consulate building. One person showed a banner with the Bintang Kejora flag and the message “Free West Papua” emblazed on it. Another person held up the Bintang Kejora flag along with a banner reading, “TNI [Indonesian Military] stop killing Papua.”
