West Papuan flag raised in Newcastle

Issue 

The West Papuan "Morning Star" flew over Newcastle City Hall on December 1, the anniversary of the first official raising of the flag in West Papuan in 1961. The flag raising ceremony was addressed by Greens councillor Michael Osborne and Australian West Papua Association spokesperson Michael Freund of Australian West Papua Association.

"If you raise this flag in West Papua, you could be jailed for 15 years or be beaten or shot by the Indonesian government", Osborne said in a December 1 media release. "Australia owes a debt to the West Papuans who supported us in World War II', he added.

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