Hon Alexander Downer MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

18 March 2006

Dear Mr. Downer,

Jayapura – Enraged Indonesian police fired live bullets to root out about 1,000 protesters from a university in Papua after the students beat several officers to death, eyewitnesses sai

Jane Perlez, Jakarta – Indonesia's top military and police generals took control of the provincial capital of Jayapura in Papua on Friday, ordering the arrests of university students an

Papuans and officers of the Police Force and TNI (Armed Forces of Indonesia) have fallen victim of the Misguided Policy of the SBY/Kalla government.

Ian Pearson MP
Minister of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 1AA

17 March 2006

Dear Mr Pearson,

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Istana Negara, Jakarta
Fax: 00 6221 385-5481

17 March, 2006

Dear Mr President,

Reporter: Peter Cave

Irwan Firdaus, Jayapura – Troops rounded up suspects Friday after mobs bludgeoned to death three police officers and a soldier during a protest to demand the shutdown of a massive US-ow

Jakarta – Armed police clashed with rock-throwing demonstrators during a protest against the world's largest gold and copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province leaving up to five people

Jayapura – Protesters beat three police officers to death Thursday during a violent demonstration to demand the closure of a US-owned gold mine in Indonesia's Papua province, police and

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Mimika Police on Wednesday arrested 15 people for an attack on the Sheraton Timika Hotel in Timika, Papua, on Tuesday, and are searching for five more sus

Bandung – There are currently no plans to develop a new military command in West Irian Jaya following that its separation from Papua, according to Army chief Gen. Djoko Santoso.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Dozens of angry Papuan activists expressed their anger over mining company PT Freeport Indonesia by storming the Sheraton Timika hotel Tuesday where sever

Hyginus Hardoyo, Manokwari – Former Sorong regent Abraham Octovianus Atururi maintained his lead in the West Irian Jaya direct gubernatorial election Monday amid threats by an opponent

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Hundreds of residents angry with the results of the gubernatorial election in Papua on Friday attacked the General Elections Commission (KPUD) office in P

Hyginus Hardoyo, Manokwari, West Irian Jaya – Eligible voters in West Irian Jaya crowded polling stations Saturday, ignoring threats of violence if the gubernatorial election in the dis

Washington – Australia's top diplomat in the US has delivered a rousing speech in support of Indonesia and criticised the motives of fighters for the independence of Papua.

A US State Department report alleging torture and intimidation by Indonesian security forces against Papuan separatists may add weight to the case of 43 Papuan boat people seeking asylu

John Pilger – In 1993, I and four others travelled clandestinely across East Timor to gather evidence of the genocide committed by the Indonesian dictatorship.

Zoe Kenny – On February 25, the five-day blockade by several hundred West Papuan villagers of the sole access road to Freeport's Grasberg mine was called off.

Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia faced protests from Papuan and refugee activists on a visit to Brisbane.

Aboeprijadi Santoso – Papua is a synonym for a fait accompli tragedy. It is frequently forced into situations by external forces which then become immutable.

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – A stone-age bow and arrow shoot-out between tribesmen and guards at the giant Freeport gold and copper mine in Papua has snowballed into a stand-off symbolising P

Andi Hajramurni and Suherdjoko, Makassar/Semarang/Jakarta – Anger at PT Freeport Indonesia continued Wednesday, with protesters demanding the closure of the company's mine in Papua over

Indra Subagja, Jakarta – The Jakarta metropolitan police have finally released the six activists that took part in a demonstration at the offices of PT Freeport Indonesia at the Plaza 8

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – After arresting six activists during a demonstration at Plaza 89 in South Jakarta yesterday, police have renewed the hunt for activist they believe infiltrated th

Max Lane – The application for asylum by 43 West Papuan political activists and their families, who arrived on Australia's Cape York peninsula in January after a five-day voyage on a ri

Tom Allard – The Indonesian Government is preventing human rights observers from monitoring the situation in Papua amid "worrying" reports of abuses in the troubled province, says the U

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Ignoring Papuan protesters' demands, the government will maintain a military presence at PT Freeport Indonesia's mine in Papua.

Jayapura, Papua – Protests against the mining firm, Freeport, continued in Jayapura on Tuesday, with some protesters staging an overnight sit-in at the provincial legislative compound.

Jakarta – Indonesian demonstrators rallied for a third consecutive day Wednesday in front of the offices of a US mining giant demanding that it cease operations in Papua province.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Hundreds of native Papuans are demonstrating to demand the closure of a huge mine in Indonesia's Papua province run by the US company Freeport-McMoran Copper

Jakarta/Jayapura – Police used a water cannon and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered in Jakarta on Monday to denounce US gold mining giant Freeport, saying i

Muchamad Nafi, Jakarta – The Peoples' United Front Struggle of West Papuan proposed five demands regarding PT Freeport's continuation on their land.

Shawn Donnan, Jakarta – When hundreds of illegal miners last week blocked the access road to Freeport McMoRan's gold and copper mine in Indonesia's remote Papua province, it was temptin

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – Apes. Perhaps this is what six demonstrators at Plaza 89 in Kuningan, South Jakarta, were thinking earlier this afternoon.

Jakarta – Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protestors outside the offices of Freeport Indonesia in the capital Jakarta, as demonstrators demanded the closu

Jakarta – With activities resuming at PT Freeport Indonesia's mine in Papua, activists called for the release of Papuan students detained for vandalizing a Jakarta high-rise that is hom

Patrick Walters – Alexander Downer will meet senior Indonesian officials today in a bid to calm Jakarta's concerns over Australia's handling of 43 Papuan asylum-seekers now on Christmas

Indonesia complained that Australia's processing of asylum applications for 43 Papuans on Christmas Island was "dragging".

Tb.

Indonesia is expected to press Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for consular access to 43 Papuan asylum seekers when he visits Jakarta next week to discuss clemency for the Bali Nine a

At a time of Globalisation and Modernisation we must also ask: To what extent will the foreign companies and the government uphold the principles of justice and equality to protect the

Tb.

Jakarta – A blockade by alleged illegal miners that has halted production at the world's largest gold and copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province has ended with an outdoor party for p

Tom Allard and agencies – Indigenous Papuans scraping a living from the tailings at Freeport's goldmine, the world's biggest, have halted production after injuring two armed security gu

Jakarta – A US lawmaker Friday urged Indonesia to ease access to its easternmost province of Papua, the site of a long-simmering separatist movement, amid allegations of military abuse.

A blockade by protesters at the giant gold mine in Indonesia's Papua province has entered its fourth day.

Jakarta – The police have vowed to tighten security at key foreign facilities in the capital following a violent attack Thursday morning at the office building where PT Freeport Indones

Jakarta – A University of Indonesia sociologist said the indigenous Papuan people should not be blamed in the clash that occurred in the mining area of giant US-based mining company PT