Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
West Papuan National Flag Day
Statement. 1st December 2025
The 1st December is West Papuan National Flag day or National day.
This year is the 64th anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961, in the then Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.
As the Dutch prepared to give the West Papuan people their freedom, it is one of the great tragedies that at their moment of freedom it was cruelly crushed and West Papua was basically handed over to Indonesia in 1963 by the international community. A betrayal of a whole people.
Sixty-four years later, the West Papuan people are still struggling for their right to self-determination.
And the human rights abuses continue today.
The situation in the territory continues to deteriorate. There are ongoing clashes between the security forces and the TPNPB, with casualties on both sides. West Papuans continue to be arrested, intimated and killed by the security forces. A number of military operations have taken place in the past few years. During these operations house are burned causing villagers to flee, traumatised and in fear for their lives.
In the most recent security force operation on the 15 October 2025, 15 people were killed in Soanggama Village in the Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua. During the military operation the security forces conducted house to house searches and opened fire in an indiscriminate fashion resulting in 15 deaths. According to community sources soldiers buried most of the bodies with some still to be found. Local people fled in fear of their lives. In this case up to 145 residents fled from Soanggama, Janamba, and Kulapa According to Human Rights Monitor there are now more than 102,966. Internally displacement people in the terrority. Local and international human rights organisations, church groups condemned the massacre
Drone attack
On 25 November 2025, at around 9.00 pm, residents on Gunung Street in Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province, observed a military drone repeatedly circling above their neighbourhood. According to eyewitnesses, the drone flew several loops over the area and then hovered for a few minutes above a cluster of civilian houses. The aircraft reportedly switched on a green light, followed by a yellow and then a white light, illuminating one particular house before releasing an aerial explosive.
The explosive fell onto a civilian house and detonated with a powerful explosion in the middle of the residential area. Inside the building, a 17-year-old senior high school student named Listin Sam and another young man, Mr Yondinus Dapla, were asleep in the same room when the blast struck the house. Both were hit by shrapnel and debris. Neighbours and family members rushed to the house, evacuated the victims, and brought them to the Dekai Regional Public Hospital (RSUD Dekai) at around midnight. Despite receiving emergency medical treatment, Listin Sam died at approximately 2.05 am at RSUD Dekai, while Mr Yondinus Dapla survived and remains under medical care. (Human Rights Monitor 26 Nov 2025))
Amnesty International Indonesia is urging a thorough investigation into the drone attack in Dekai City, the capital of Yahukimo Regency, Papua Mountains.
Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director, Usman Hamid, stated that his organization condemns the attack, which killed one civilian and injured another, on Tuesday evening (November 25, 2025).
"We strongly condemn the cruelty of the drone attack that killed one civilian and injured another in Yahukimo. This incident shows that residents continue to be victims of the escalating conflict in Papua between security forces and armed groups without serious efforts to protect the community," Usaman Hamid said in a written press release on Thursday evening (November 27, 2025).
West Papuans commemorate their national flag Day
Every year West Papuans commemorate their National Day holding peaceful ceremonies raising their Morning Star flag.
The West Papua National Committee (KNPB Mnukwar) issued an appeal to all Papuans ahead of December 1, 2025, to never forget the history and struggles of their predecessors.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) issued a call to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the Papuan independence political manifesto on December 1, 2025.
The ULMWP stated that the call was issued in response to the recent national situation in Papua, which continues to threaten the existence of indigenous Papuans and is based on the principles of freedom and independence as stated in the Papuan political manifesto.(Jubi November 28, 2025).
An advocate and human rights defender in Papua, Yan Christian Warinussy, urged the central government not to repeat the pattern of excessive security ahead of December 1—a date often perceived by the state as a time for treason. He asked President Prabowo Subianto to instruct the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and regional governments to adopt a peaceful approach to prevent repressive actions against the community,
especially Indigenous Papuans.
The Central Headquarters of the West Papua National Liberation Army or TPNPB calls on the TPNPB troops in the 36 Regional Commandos of Operation or Kodap to conduct a military ceremony and raising of the Star of the Dawn or Star flag on the 64th Independence Day commemoration, December 1, 2025.
Joe Collins of AWPA said," hopefully the Indonesian security forces will allow all commemorations to go ahead peacefully, without the usual heavy-handed approach as in the past”. Supporters in Sydney will be raising the Morning Star Flag on Leichhardt Town Hall at 9am.
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