West Irian

West Irian: see Papua, Indonesia.

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West Irian 

the western part of the island of New Guinea; administratively, a province of Indonesia (since 1972, IrianJaya). Area, 412,800 sq km; population, 918,000 (1969). Its administrative center is the city of Jayapura (previously Sukarnapura).

In ancient times and during the Middle Ages various Indonesian states maintained ties with the coastal tribes of West Irian. In the 17th century West Irian entered into the sphere of influence of the Tidore Sultanate. In 1828, Dutch colonizers seized southwestern West Irian, and after 1848 the northern part. In 1905 the sultan of Tidore yielded all rights to the Netherlands, and it became part of the so-called Dutch East Indies.

After the declaration of independence by Indonesia in 1945, the Netherlands, in accordance with the agreement of 1949, formally recognized the sovereignty of Indonesia over all the territory of the former Dutch East Indies, but it maintained control of West Irian and attempted to include it within its administrative structure. Negotiations held from 1950 to 1952 on transferring West Irian to Indonesia were broken off by the Netherlands. Nor did discussion of the problem at sessions of the UN General Assembly (1954-57) have any results. The widespread movement that developed in Indonesia for the liberation of West Irian and support of this movement by world public opinion forced the Dutch government to sign an agreement on Aug. 15, 1962, transferring West Irian to Indonesia. This transfer was implemented in 1963. In accordance with this agreement the question was finally decided by a referendum conducted in West Irian in 1969.

V. A. TIURIN