W Papua to Commemorate 50th Integration Anniversary

Sorong, West Papua - West Papua will hold a series of event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the integration with the Republic of Indonesia. The Organizing Committee, Jimmy Demianus Ijie, said to the press here on Monday that they have taken "Where Do We Go, Papua ? A Reflection of 50th Year Integration" as the commemoration's theme. West Papua officially integrated with RI in May 1, 1963, Ijie said they will organize a series of event from April 30 to May 1, including seminar, student's writing competition, poem writing, speech competition, photos exhibition, trees planting, and as the top event is 176 kilometers of peace torch long march in Sorong, the capital of the West Papua Province. "This commemoration is very important since the first May of 1963 has a lot of meanings both for Indonesia and West Papuan. Thus, it should be put in a special place in Indonesian history," said Ijie. To start the event, on Tuesday, April 30, the committee will hold a seminar of "the four pillar as the nation-state's life" that will deliver People's Consultative Assembly's Vice Chairman Hajriyanto Y Tohari and People's Consultative Assembly's Work Group's Vice Chairman Wahidin Ismail as its speakers. Meanwhile, Sorong's Mayor Lambert Jitmau and Regional Representatives Council's Chairman Irman Gusman will be the speakers of the "Where Do We Go, Papua? A Reflection of 50th Year Integration" seminar in May 1, 2013. Through this series of event, hopefully the Papuan will have more pride as the part of Indonesia as well as the nation's stake-holders to be more aware of the social welfare and increase the span of control of government, besides only focusing in its physically development, said Ijie. (*)