Flag of West Papua
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The flag of the proposed state of the Republic of West Papua for Western New Guinea, and supported by the OPM, consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the center. To the fly side are 13 horizontal stripes alternating blue and white. The flag was designed by Nicholas Jouwe, and adopted by the New Guinea Council as the national flag in October, 1961. The Netherlands recognized this national symbol on November 18, 1961, but the territory came under UN control in 1962 and passed to Indonesia in 1963. The flag is also known as the "Morning Star" (or, natively the "Bintang Kejora"). The similarity to the flag of the United States is intentional, and the similarity to the flag of Cuba is incidental, as Cuba's flag is also derivative of that of the United States.
[edit] Nationalist movement
Jouwe was a member of the Council, and after the annexation of West Papua by Indonesia, he remained in the Netherlands as an advocate of the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM, or "Free Papua Movement"), a nationalist organization demanding independence from Indonesian rule. To this day, the Morning Star is flown by advocates in the Netherlands and Vanuatu. It is illegal to fly the flag under Indonesian law however it is reportedly flown by separatists in the absence of Indonesia authorities, and is regularly raised at nationalist demonstrations [citation needed]. Special ceremonies take place on December 1 of each year, to commemorate the proclamation of the intention to create the Republic of West Papua in 1961[citation needed]. The flying of the "Morning Star" has been the source of controversy over alleged human rights abuses by Indonesian authorities.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Peter D. King, West Papua & Indonesia Since Suharto: Independence, Autonomy, or Chaos (ISBN 0-86840-676-7), p. 31-32
- Richard Chauvel, Centre of Southeast Asian Studies Working Papers - Working Paper 121: Essays on West Papua, Vol. 2
- The primary site for information on West Papua
