By diplomat_admin
Twenty-one people are dead after a series of rallies in Indonesia’s remote West Papua and Papua provinces where, much to Jakarta’s annoyance, a nagging independence movement refuses to go away.
Protesters in traditional tribal dress defied a heavily armed police and military presence and marched across cities and towns, while sympathy meetings were held in London demanding a referendum on independence and repudiation of a 1969 vote.
That vote was backed by the United Nations and formalized Indonesian control over the region. However, Papuans claim only a thousand people participated after being bullied to the ballot box by Jakarta.
Read More at The Diplomat