Papua was annexed by Indonesia under the controversial Act of Free Choice in 1969. In 2003, the Indonesian central government declared that the province would be split into three areas: Papua Province, Central Irian Jaya, and West Irian Jaya. Opposition to this resulted in the plan for Central Irian Jaya being scrapped, and even the designation of West Irian Jaya Province is still legally unclear. The independent sovereign state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) borders Papua Province to the east.