INDONESIA: The forbidden anthem of a would-be independent West Papua was sung as the disputed territory's flag was raised at a ceremony in Dublin yesterday.
Mr Fred Korwa (63), a veteran exile of the 39-year campaign to end Indonesian rule in the former Dutch colony, sang the anthem, Hai Tan ahku Papua.
He told a large audience of being in New York in 1969 and protesting at the UN's conduct over the "Act of Free Choice" which was taken as validating the Indonesian takeover of the former Dutch colony. The raising of the "Morning Star" flag is forbidden in Papua as it is a symbol of independence. Senator David Norris said it was "tragic" that it could be raised in the Mansion House but not in Mr Korwa's own land. Yesterday's ceremony was to launch a campaign to press UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, to review the 1969 act, widely acknowledged as an undemocratic sham.
Mr Desmond O'Malley, chairman of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, said 1,022 tribal elder were taken as representing a population of one million and many were threatened with being shot if they did not opt for Indonesian rule.