{"id":996,"date":"2020-12-04T21:30:36","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T21:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=132772"},"modified":"2020-12-04T21:30:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T21:30:36","slug":"rival-opm-leaders-dispute-papuan-independence-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/04\/rival-opm-leaders-dispute-papuan-independence-declaration\/","title":{"rendered":"Rival OPM leaders dispute Papuan \u2018independence\u2019 declaration"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pacific Media Centre<\/a> Newsdesk<\/em><\/p>\n A renewed declaration of independence by an exiled West Papuan leader has stirred a negative response from other Papuan independence fighters who are part of the West Papua liberation army force clashing with Indonesian security troops.<\/p>\n The rival fighters have rejected the peaceful unilateral claim of independence and in particular the claim that Benny Wenda is Papua’s provisional president, reports CNN Indonesia<\/a>.<\/p>\n On December 1 – West Papua’s national flag day when protests across Indonesia and globally each year<\/a> raise the banned Morning Star<\/em> flag in defiance – the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) chairperson Benny Wenda declared Papuan independence.<\/p>\n He did not make the declaration on Papuan soil but rather through a press release In his declaration, Wenda said that he would no longer submit to the constitution and Indonesian law and that Papua will have its own laws and constitution.<\/p>\n Aside from declaring Papuan independence, Wenda also stated that he had been appointed as the interim president of the provisional administration of the republic of Papua.<\/p>\n “Today, we announce the formation of the West Papua provisional administration. We are ready to take over our territory, and we will no longer submit to Jakarta’s illegal military laws,” Wenda said.<\/p>\n “Starting today, December 1, 2020, we will begin to apply our own constitution and reclaim our sovereign land.”<\/p>\n Hot debate in news media<\/strong>\n
\non the ULMWP’s official website.<\/p>\n
\nIndonesian news and current affairs programmes such as on TV One have hotly debated the diplomacy challenge raised by Wenda. Two prominent human rights advocates have spoken out in support of West Papuan right to self-determination.<\/p>\n