From: Anne Noonan <iris@matra.com.au> via  WestPapua@topica.com
From Awpa

Radio National Asia-Pacific
TENSE STAND-OFF IN TROUBLED PROVINCE OF WEST PAPUA

A tense stand-off has developed between independence supporters and Indonesian authorities in the troubled province of West Papua, following an outbreak of violence over the weekend.

An estimated 30-people have been killed in the highland town of Wamena, following an attempt by police to forcibly pull down West Papuan flags.

The flag removals and shootings of several independence supporters triggered a violent response from West Papuans who appear to have retaliated by attacking Indonesian civilian settlers in the town.

The violence has sparked an emergency meeting among West Papuan independence leaders, who will need to advise their followers how to react to the Indonesian crack-down on independence activities.

There are also signs of a rift in Jakarta's handling of the restive province, with claims military elements are ignoring President Wahid's policy of restraint.

Tricia Fitzgerald reports.....

Police have been authorised to shoot to kill after at least 22 settlers and four West Papuans were killed in the highland town of Wamena at the weekend. .

The settlers are mainly Macassar traders from Sulawesi, who've been encouraged to settle in Papua by Jakarta.

Authorities say highlanders went on a raping, burning and killing rampage against the settlers, after police started to act on a new order to pull down the Morning Star flags, the symbol of Papuan independence. .

Sem Karoba is an adviser with the Penis Gourd People's Assembly Council, which represents highlanders in West Papua.

He says the conflict has created a new level of tension in the province.

SEM KAROBA: If anyone wants to lower down the flag we must go to Jakarta and ask Mr. Wahid first. But police are saying no we are going to lower down now. And they have started from Wamena. And this is a war between bows and arrows and modern weapons supplied by western governments.

In our culture we call it is already it is in war, so people are on alert everytime, day and night in their posts - Papua posts. And they are standing with the flags, their Morning Star flags. And they are waiting if anyone, any army member comes they will attack. And the police are also doing the same thing. They are standing at their posts and they are on standby to fight. And when they meet they fight.

FITZGERALD: You said that the Indonesian police have chosen Wamena as the first place to start removing the flag. Why do you think they chose that place?

SEM KAROBA: Wamena has the most flags, so you can find flags almost at every corner of Wamena town. You can find hundreds of them. And in the villages you can find every village, even 20 people, 30 people they have
their flags raised at their posts. And Wamena has a large amount of posts, and SATGAS, which is the Papua Task Force. And this is why, whereas you can see in Jayapura only one flag flying in the capital of Jayapura and in the
other places. But in Wamena they are almost everywhere.

FITZGERALD: Why is it that Wamena is such an important stronghold for the independence groups?

SEM KAROBA: The independence movement is rooted in the highlands and they have been fighting since the 1960's. The highlands is the place where the independence movement is strongly going on. First of all they have
suffered a lot and they have been killed and bombed and everything. And in Wamena in Lani culture if someone kills you they will remember it for generations.

For example my father told me about this and I was still young at the time, but my father told me and I think it is important as a young person to fight back. And it will go on and on to fight back against Indonesia because they
have killed us, they have raped, they did many wrong things, and they are exploiting our resources, and they are doing bad things, and they have many many promises, and they are not fulfilling their promises.

Sometimes the Indonesian government has campaigns for general elections. They make many many promises and people here hold these promises and they count you have done this, you havent done this, and this is really a
problem.

FITZGERALD: In the wake of the violence police say thousands of settlers have taken refuge in military and police posts.

In the provincial capital Jayapura independence leaders have been holding an emergency meeting to decide how to handle the crisis.

They say commanders on the ground are breaching President Wahid's relatively lenient policy towards the independence campaign in West Papua.

Mr Karoba says both Jakarta and the leaders of the independence presidium which Papuans elected in June, like Theas Eluyi, have to take responsibilty for quelling violence.

SEM KAROBA: This is a bad thing that is happening in Wamena when they heard the killings were happening in the town, people in the villages have just started doing this and now we are starting to resolve this, because this is not the way forward, because we are not thinking of killing anyone.

FITZGERALD: So what sort of action is the independence movement planning in West Papua to try to solve this problem?

SEM KAROBA: Penis Gourds, People's Assembly Council has held a big demonstration in Port Numbai in the house of Theas Eluyi today about resolving the deaths of people in West Papua as a whole, because people have died in Manakwari, Sorong, Nabire, in Merauke and the Presidium Council has done nothing because this is the result of decisions by the Presidium Council to hoist their flag. But they are not doing anything, so we are asking
them to resolve this, starting from what happening now in Wamena. We want the Presidium Council to act strongly against the Indonesian police commanders, against the Papuans ourselves because they are holding the command
of Papuans, so they must give instructions to the Papuans not to kill and do such things. And they must go down to Wamena tomorrow. We are asking them to go down tomorrow and tell the people not do bad things. And also give
proposals to the Indonesian goverment to negotiate what is the way out.
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