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Indonesia: West Melanesian flag

Last modified: 2002-10-19 by sam lockton
Keywords: west melanesia | melanesia | indonesia |
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At a function hosted by the local West Papuan independence association I saw a flag that the West Papuan representative called "a West Melanesian Flag", consisting of of a vertical green rectangle covering the left hand third of the flag and fourteen white seven pointed stars within the rectangle (looking somewhat like a crucifix). There is a horizontal tricolour (consisting of, from top to bottom, black, white and red) covering the remaining two thirds of the flag. I'm not sure exactly what the flag represents as the West Papuan explaining the flag and I were having some language interpretation problems but he said that the flag was designed to "represent Melanesian identity" and seemed to be saying that it was going to replace the current West Papuan separatist flag, although he seemed to be saying that it was a broader flag representing the people of West Papua, the Moluccas, East Timor and PNG. Has anyone else seen this flag or know the actual story behind it?
Zane Whitehorn, 21 June 2002

This flag appears on the photo of the flag raising ceremony of the indigenous nations of the Pacific. The photo can be seen at:
www.awpa-melb.asn.au.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 21 June 2002

A Google search for "West Melanesian Flag" gave:
www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/ASA210111996
- about the death of Thomas Wainggai, with mention that his wife "was accused of having sewn the West Melanesian flag."
www.angelfire.com/oh/mEmeX/inigenouspeople.txt
- with mention that "Thomas Wanggai, a Serui-born civil servant, raised a new West Melanesian flag in the late 1980s."
Ole Andersen, 21 June 2002

I found some biographical notes which clarify a bit what th