Annexation Day Solidarity

May 1 marks the annexation of the Indonesia government over West Papua in 1963. On May 1, the administrative control of West Papua was formally transferred from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) to the Republic of Indonesia.

This is state occupation, state exploitation and plunder, and decades of violent human rights violations over free and independent peoples. The transfer of authority following the New York Agreement in 1962, carried out without the genuine consent of the West Papuan peoples and later entrenched by fake 1969 referendum. For over sixty years, this date has symbolized the denial of self-determination, as Indigenous West Papuans have faced state militarization, forced displacement, and most brutal human rights abuses under ongoing Indonesian rule.

Let us remember May 1 in solidarity with the West Papua peoples' protests, resistance, and call for justice. Commemorating this day is about standing against the ongoing state violence and amplifying the voices of those demanding freedom, dignity, and self-determination.

During the Peoples' Cordillera Day, Indigenous Peoples and advocates from the Philippines raised the flag and joined the call to Free West Papua in solidarity with the protest actions across Papua Island and in Indonesia in commemoration of May 1 Annexation Day.

Protest actions across West Papua and Indonesia for May 1 Annexation Day:

• On 27 April 2026, government security forces violently dispersed a student demonstration led by the Papuan Student Solidarity (SOMAP) in Waena and Abepura, Jayapura City, Papua province. Tear gas, and warning shots were fired by the police and military even in residential areas in Jalan Sosiri, Abepura. At least one student was arbitrarily arrested, while three others were reportedly injured.