West Papua: Reports on Flag Raising by SMS

Citizen journalists on the ground have started filing the following reports by SMS (translated from Bahasa Indonesia):

Timika
“December 1st was celebrated in Timika. The flag was raised for approximately 30minutes. A church service began at 9am. The military then forcibly dispersed everyone. Two people were shot (a man and a woman). The man’s name is Viktus Wamang. He is currently in the hospital in Timika. The woman is yet to be identified. Three people have been detained. The situation is very tense. People are still detained on the field in Timika Indah.” 13:30, Dec. 1.

Sorong
“We marched around the municipality office and are now joining a mass prayer. Around 1,000 to 1,500 people are involved. The police are strictly guarding us. Hope that nothing happens to us.” 12:35, Dec 1.

Manokwari
“The streets of Manokwari are crowed. People are holding a 100 long banner that reads ‘The Federal Republic of West Papua’ and includes a photo of the President [Forkorus Yaboisembut] and the Prime Minister [Edison Waromi] and hundreds of Morning Star Flags.” 13:29, Dec 1.

Puncak Jaya (Nemangkawi in the Amungme language), the highest mountain between the Himalaya and the Andes
A European mountain climber unfurled the Morning Star Flag on the summit of Nemangkawi. The photo has just been released on West Papua Media.

People are now coming out of church services. More flag raisings are expected.

ENDS

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