jeudi 4 novembre 2010

WEST PAPUA HONOURING THE LEGACY OF THEIJS ELUAY


                                                                        

lundi 25 octobre 2010

50 YEARS OF NETH NEW GUINEA SELFGOVERNMENT 1961 2011 NIEUW GUINEA RAAD ( 1ST ISSUE )




Coat of arms of Netherlands New Guinea

The coat of arms of Netherlands New Guinea (and the OPM) was one of a number of national symbols
 chosen by the Papuans prior todecolonization by the Netherlands, and prior to occupation by Indonesia.
The design on the shield was in the form of the flag of Netherlands New Guinea, the Morning Star
The shield was supported by two birds of paradise and surrounded by a garland of local flowers 
and a scroll bearing the motto "Setia, djudjur, Mesra" (Loyal, Honest, Affectionate). 

New Guinea Council

The New Guinea Council was a unicameral representative body formed in the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea
 in 1961. The council was inaugurated on 5 April 1961 with 28 council members,
 16 of whom had been elected in elections held during January 1961.
The council was requested to make its wishes on self-determination known within a year  
During an emergency session the council drafted a national manifesto
 and symbols including the Morning Star flag for a new national identity to be known as "West Papua"





samedi 16 octobre 2010

INAUGURATION OF POST WEST PAPUA PHILATELIC SERVICE

49TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MORNING STAR FLAG OF WEST PAPUA

HONOURING OUR BELOVED FLAG
LONG LIVE REPUBLIC OF WEST PAPUA

The Morning Star flag represented the Dutch territory of West New Guinea from 1 December 1961 [1]until 1 October 1962 when the territory came under administration of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). The flag is commonly used by the West Papuan population including OPM supporters to rally self-determination human rights support and is popularly flown on 1 December each year in defiance of Indonesian domestic laws. The flag consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the center.


After national elections in January 1961 a New Guinea Council consisting of 28 members were sworn into office by Governor Dr. P.J.Platteel on 1 April 1961 and the Council's inaugurations on 5 April 1961 were attended by Australia, Britain, France, Holland, New Zealand and other Pacific Forum nations with exception of the United States. An emergency session of this Council on 19 October 1961 in response to news that the Hague was considering submitting to US pressure to trade the West New Guinea territory first to United Nations and then Indonesian administration; elected a National Committee to draft a Manifesto for Independence & Self-government, design National flag (Morning Star) and select a national anthem ("Haitanahkoe Papue" / Hail to our Soil Papua). The full New Guinea Council endorsed these actions on 30 October 1961 and the first Morning Star flag was presented to Governor Platteel on 31 October 1961 who says "Never before has the oneness of the Council been put forward so strongly."[edit]
History

The official raising of the flag took place during a day of celebration on 1 December 1961 with National Committee Chairman Mr Inury saying "My Dear compatriots, you are looking at the symbol of our unity and our desire to take our place among the nations of the world. As long as we are not really united we shall not be free. To be united means to work hard for the good of our country, now, until the day that we shall be independent, and further from that day on."
Design of the flag is credited to Nicolaas JouweThe Netherlands recognized this national symbol on November 18, 1961. The flag is also known as the "Morning Star" (or "Bintang Kejora" in Indonesian). The similarity to the flag of the United States is intentional, but 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 [2]. 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. The flying of the "Morning Star" has been the source of controversy over human rights abuses by Indonesian authorities. Two Papuan men, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage are serving 15 and 10 year sentences respectively for raising the flag in Timika in 2004.