TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - General Coordinator of the Free Papua Organization (OPM), Lambertus Pekikir on behalf of the OPM members wished Indonesia a Happy 68^th Independence Day. "We appreciate and respect Indonesia's independence day and do not wish to hinder the celebration," said Lambert Pekikir, Friday, August 16, 2013.

Lambert hoped that in this year's celebration, violence, intimidation and massacre would not occur again in Papua. "We respect Indonesia's big day and Indonesia should also respect West Papua's big day," he added.

Lambert also asked the Indonesian government to be 'more mature' in seeing what's actually happening. "It's not a matter of drinking and eating. What's happening in Papua is a political matter," he said, adding that it is time for the Indonesian government to give opportunities to Papua to decide its own fate.

Indonesian people, Lambert added, are different from the Melanesian people. He also argued that the striking differences between the two couldn't be settled. "It will remain like that no matter what. Just like the Timorese people and the Indonesian people," he said.

In the meantime, prior to the 68^th Independence Day, people in Papua celebrated the day with various ways.

In Sentani, Jayapura Regency, hundreds of members of a motorcycle club enlivened the 'merah putih' (red and white, Indonesian flag) parade by decorating their motorcycles with Indonesian flags and red-and-white themed ornaments.

An intimate atmosphere was also seen during a stone burning ceremony (Papuan traditional way of cooking) and free mass medical treatment provided by the Papua police on Thursday at Angkasapura Sub-regency, Jayapura. The mass medical treatment was then followed by distributing 300 free staple food packages to the locals.

JERRY OMONA