Indonesia on Thursday condemned a plan to raise the separatist flag of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) at the opening of a human rights seminar in Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 1, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said here.
The flag is banned for raising by the Indonesian government for the reason that it could spark and boost separatism.
The separatist group OPM, who claimed to get independence in 1961 when the process of decolonisation from the Dutch rule began, has long engaged in rebellious activities in the eastern province of Papua, using both guerrilla and diplomatic ways to achieve their goal.
Indonesia called for those who claimed to care about political development in Papua to help Indonesia create a reconciliation rather than provoking conflicts.
"We condemn the (plan of) raising of this separatist flag, they serve no purpose other than to give false hope and to provoke confrontation and conflict," the spokesman told Xinhua at the State Palace here.
"We urge those claiming to care about political development in Papua to really change their mindset. We believe in dialogue, in peace and reconciliation, that should be supported by our friends abroad," he said.
Papua is now under the program of the so-called "a new deal for Papua," which was considered as the biggest chance for political stability, reform and progress, said Dino.
The OPM separatist flag, known as "Morning Star", was planned to be raised on Dec. 1 in New Zealand, a release from Indonesian Human Rights Committee said Thursday.
The Indonesian government provided 1.9 billion U.S. dollars for Papua last year and 2.3 billion U.S. dollar this year, according to Dino.
Source: Xinhua
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