Jayapura. An estimated 2,000 Papuans took to the streets of provincial capital Jayapura to demand independence from Indonesia, days after a local council called for the province’s special autonomy to be revoked because of its perceived ineffectiveness.
The Papuans, who marched from Sentani district to Jayapura on Thursday in their traditional garb, demanded an independence referendum for the province.
They also called for a boycott of all regional elections there unless the government reinstated a 2001 law stipulating that all regional heads in the province must be native Papuans.
Forkorus Yoboisembut, chairman of the Papua Traditional Council that took part in the protest, said the central government had failed to implement special autonomy for Papua.
“Since the central government is not serious about our autonomy, we want a referendum on independence for Papua,” he said.
The province was granted special autonomous status in 2001, which was aimed at handing over control of its lucrative natural-resources tax revenue from the central government to the local administration.
However, critics say the autonomy only worked on paper, while the reality on the ground is high rates of poverty and unemployment and the country’s lowest rate of development.
On Monday, members of the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) agreed to request that the central government repeal the special autonomy.
Markus Haluk, a protest leader from the Pegunungan Tengah Students Association, demanded that local legislators be more firm about rejecting autonomous status.
He also called on the government to close down mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia, which he claimed was exploiting local resources and discriminating against natives.
“Freeport’s activities here only benefit those in Jakarta,” he said. “We’re left with the garbage.”
Papua Legislative Council (DPRP) lawmaker Ruben Magai slammed the central government for not being consistent in applying special autonomy for the province. “The government has never managed to address the widespread problems of poverty and lack of development here,” he said.
DPRP Deputy Speaker Yunus Wenda pledged to respond to the protesters’ demands within three weeks. “Give us time to fight for what the Papuan people want.”
Since the 1960s, a low-level separatist movement in the province has resulted in some bloody clashes between government security forces and rebels. In July 2008, 46 Papuans were arrested on charges of treason after they hoisted the Morning Star flag, one of Papua’s independence symbols.
Another major point of contention is Grasberg mine, the world’s biggest copper and gold mine, managed by Freeport. It has long polarized residents and the government over its environmental impact and revenue-sharing.
The government restricts access by foreign media and aid workers to the province, and allegations of human-rights abuses are frequently reported by international organizations.
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.