PNG citizens denied celebrations

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
RIOTERS in Jayapura city damaged the PNG Consulate General’s Office, forcing PNG citizens not to celebrate the 44th independence anniversary in West Papua Province, Indonesia, PNG consular-general Geoffrey Wiri says.
He said he had written to the Foreign Affairs Department in Port Moresby regarding the incident so they could take it up with the Indonesian government.
“Rioters caused thousands of kina worth of damage by smashing down the chancery’s office glass during the riots,” Wiri said.
“Other shops and commercial properties along the same street were similarly damaged, they included the burning down of a rental car yard and Honda Motorcycles sales offices along the same street.”
Wiri said riots broke out in Jayapura city after Javanese made discriminatory comments about West Papuan students in Surabaya last month. “Supporting demonstrations by West Papuans and their sympathisers in Port Moresby (Sept 10) and Vanimo in PNG on Friday (Sept 13) also forced us not to celebrate the independence anniversary,” he said.
“Luckily all the staff were out of the chancery during the riot last week and all are safe. The situation is back to normal and we are back at work.
“The repairing and replacing of the damaged glasses at the chancery have commenced.
“So in such a violent situation, we were unable to organise the rest of the PNG citizens here to celebrate the anniversary that we usually had annually on September 16.
“Maybe next year we will recommence the celebration. But we did allow our staff time off to celebrate independence at their own homes.
“Other PNG citizens must have celebrated the independence.”
Meanwhile, about 30 PNG prisoners in Doyo prison in Sentani, West Papua, celebrated their anniversary in prison.
Their relatives, including wives and children, contributed money and food for them to have a feast and church service to celebrate the event.