Every December 1, the police began conducting patrols in a number of areas in Papua.

Although still hit by the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2), the large-scale patrols in Papua have been intensively carried out approaching December 1, 2020.

The Head of the Public Information Bureau of the National Police Headquarters Brig. Gen. Polri Awi Setiyono said, “With the Army of Indonesia, we will carry out major patrols related to anticipating and preventing unwanted things from happening,” said Awi at the Police Headquarters on Monday, November 23, 2020.

But Awi did not specify what these “unwanted things” meant.

He only said that the police were trying to make the security situation in Bumi Cendrawasih Land on December, 1.

The government, through the National Police and the Army of Indonesia, will alert the apparatus every year before December 1, the date which is said to be the day of the OPM or the Free Papua Organization.

The government’s statement regarding December 1 as the OPM’s anniversary was denied by Sebby Sambom, spokesman for the West Papua National Liberation Army for the Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM).

In fact, according to Sebby, the designation of 1 December as the OPM Anniversary is merely propaganda by the Indonesian military and police.

“There is no such thing as December 1 as the OPM anniversary, it is propaganda by the Indonesian military and police to corner our struggle,” Sebby said last year.

59 years ago, the Morning Star (Bintang Kejora) flag was first flown in the city of Hollandia – now Jayapura. On December 1, 1967, the Morning Star flag was hung beside the Dutch flag.

The religious song ‘Hal Tanahku Papua’ became the national anthem.

At that time, West Papua was one of the Dutch colonies. Like Indonesia, the independence of West Papua was also recognized by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

This is made President Soekarno furious. He then launched the Trikora (Tiga Komando Rakyat) operation on December 19, 1961, which was led directly by Major General Soeharto.

Then, on May 1, 1963, the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) handed over the administration of Papua to Indonesia.

Furthermore, in 1969 the Determination of People’s Opinion or Act was held. At that time, as many as 1,025 Papuan people were involved in deliberations to determine the future of Papua, independence, or becoming part of Indonesia.