28 Aug 2019

Governor says Jokowi willing to discuss independence demands

5:41 pm on 28 August 2019

The Governor of Papua says the Indonesian president is willing to discuss Papuan demands for an independence referendum.

A demonstration in Bandung, Java

A demonstration in Bandung, Java Photo: Supplied

Lukas Enembe told reporters after meeting with Joko Widodo in Jakarta that a referendum was the people's aspiration.

Mr Widodo has previously said he wanted to meet Papuan leaders at some point this week, as widespread protests grip Indonesia's eastern region.

Thousands of people returned to the streets again on Monday, many of them brandishing the banned Morning Star flag.

The Papua and West Papua provinces were incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticised UN-backed referendum 50 years ago.

Papua province's Governor Lukas Enembe at Indonesia's Pacific Expo event in Auckland, July 2019

Papua province's Governor Lukas Enembe at Indonesia's Pacific Expo event in Auckland, July 2019 Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades

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