Press Release – The Australia West Papua Association

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) Media release-29 November 2012 West Papuan flag raising in Sydney- Friday 30 November AWPA thanks both Leichhardt and Marrickville councils for their support in raising the West Papuan flag on their town halls again …Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
Media release-29 November 2012
West Papuan flag raising in Sydney- Friday 30 November
AWPA thanks both Leichhardt and Marrickville councils for their support in raising the West Papuan flag on their town halls again this year for West Papuan national flag day.
Joe Collins of AWPA said the support of local councils is very important in helping raise awareness of the human rights situation in West Papua in local communities.
It is also of concern that the police chief of the district of Mimika has called on the people to ‘remain calm’ as1 December approaches and that they “should avoid getting involved in activities that tend towards subversion such as flying the Morning Star flag”.

Joe Collins said “it is of great concern that simply raising a flag can be classed as subversion. The outlawing of the raising of a flag is in direct contravention of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)”
Article 19.2 states:
2.Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

As the 1st is a Saturday and councils are closed the councils will raise the flag on Friday the 30 November

Leichhardt will raise it 8am on Friday the 30 Nov.
Leichhardt Municipal Council, 7-15 Wetherill Street Leichhardt

Marrickville will at its Petersham Town Hall at 11.30am on Friday 30 November
Petersham Town Hall. 107 Crystal Street Petersham NSW 2049

Background
West Papuan National Flag Day. 1st December

The 1st of December is West Papuan National Day or National flag day . Fifty one years ago on the 1st of December 1961, in the then Dutch colony of West New Guinea, The West Papuan flag, called the Morning Star was flown for the first time officially beside the Dutch Tricolor. At that ceremony, as the Morning Star flag was raised, Dutch and Papuan military and police saluted and accompanied by a marine band playing the national anthem, “My Land Papua”. The Dutch were finally about to give the West Papuan people their freedom. However it is one of the great tragedies that at their moment of freedom it was cruelly crushed and West Papua was basically handed over to Indonesia in 1963. After 6 years administration of the province, Indonesia held a sham referendum called the “Act of Free Choice” under UN supervision. Only 1025 handpicked voters, one representative for approximately every 700 West Papuans were allowed vote, and under coercion, voted to “remain with Indonesia. The Papuans call this the “act of no choice

ENDS

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