Flag comes down in Irian Jaya

Indonesia staged a major show of force

Police in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya have taken down the flag of independence supporters under a deal reached on Thursday.

The flag has been the rallying point for the independence movement, and earlier in the year a number of people were killed in clashes over the issue.

The banned Morning Star flag

The authorities had allowed the flag to stay flying in the Irian Jaya capital, Jayapura, for a rally attended by thousands of people. They had insisted they would never allow the flag to be lowered.

The Indonesian authorities have firmly ruled out independence for Irian Jaya and, earlier in the week, rounded up prominent separatist leaders.

Pro-independence rally

Indonesian security forces have used a massive show of force to stop separatists in Irian Jaya province from declaring independence.

On Friday, heavily armed police had been told to shoot if they were attacked during pro-independence celebrations in the provincial capital Jayapura.

Irian Jaya

Capital Jayapura 3,700 km (2,300 miles) east of Jakarta

Former Dutch colony, annexed by Indonesia in 1963

Population: two million

Although speakers repeated calls for Irian Jaya to break free from Indonesian rule as the new state of West Papua, nobody dared make a formal declaration of independence and the rally was reported to have gone off peacefully.

However there were clashes in the Indonesian capital Jakarta where police fired teargas to disperse 300 Irianese who raised the separatist Morning Star flag in a protest outside the US embassy.

Separatist tensions

The Morning Star was also hoisted at the cultural centre in Jayapura, but there was no violence.

The police had earlier said the flag could only remain until dusk, but relented when the crowd refused to lower it.

Thousands of people took part in the Jayapura celebration, which marked a unilateral declaration of independence made 39 years ago by local political leaders.

The rally commemorated the date in 1961 when tribal chiefs declared independence from Dutch colonial rule.

Separatist tensions have long been brewing in Irian Jaya, which Jakarta annexed in 1963.

Many accuse Indonesia of years of human rights abuses and complain it has given them little in return for exploiting their vast natural resources.

The province lies on the western half of New Guinea island, 3700km from Jakarta, and the people are Melanesian, as opposed to the Malays who make up most of Indonesia.

'Shoot accurately'

The BBC correspondent in Jayapura, Richard Galpin, says pro-independence leaders were desperate to avoid a confrontation at the rally, fearing it would give Jakarta an excuse for a general crackdown.

A checkpoint on one of the main roads into Jayapura

Indonesia sent an extra 1,300 elite reserve troops to the province to prevent unrest.

President's hardline

On Thursday, Indonesian President, Abdurrahman Wahid, warned Jakarta would not tolerate moves by the province to break away.

Indonesian police also stepped up their hunt for separatists ahead of the rally, arresting three pro-independence leaders. Two have been charged with subversion.