Hoisting the Morning Star to raise awareness of West Papua

BERNIE Constable raised the West Papuan Morning Star flag atop the Ballarat Trades Hall on Saturday, 1 December as part of a global event to celebrate West Papua’s national day.

Mr Constable’s action was in solidarity with the West Papuan people he said, “Because if they were to raise their own flag in their own country they would be arrested by the Indonesian military and charged with treason facing a penalty of 15 years jail.”

Mr Constable said hundreds of people were arrested on the day throughout West Papua, a province of Indonesia, simply for demonstrating for their freedom.

“We were doing it pretty much because we can do it and they can’t. Our government is turning a blind eye to it, but at least they don’t arrest us.”

In an effort to raise awareness on the issue in West Papua the flag will remain flying for at least a week in the hope that people will see and notice it

“The only way we can put enough pressure on our government is if enough people know about it.”

According to Mr Constable journalists have been banned from the country so very little news comes out to the western world.

“All we can rely on is people getting it out on social media from the country or West Papuans themselves who make it to other parts of the world.”

While Mr Constable has no specific connection to West Papua he said, “I have a strong desire to have human rights respected around the world and it is definitely not happening there.”

“As West Papua is in our neighbourhood, I think as Australians it is a very good thing for us to support and if people don’t know about it, we have an obligation to tell the public what’s happening.”