Fiji's Government and Opposition have indicated their commitment to help West Papua join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato has reaffirmed his government's support for Indonesian territorial sovereignty in West Papua and Papua provinces.

There are signs that Papua New Guinea's government may be backtracking from comments made by the prime minister last week that it is time to speak out about West Papua.

Michael Bachelard – The people of Lolat in the high mountains of West Papua had their first experience of a white man in 1968, and it was a culinary one.

A prominent Australian human rights lawyer has welcomed a statement of support for West Papuans by Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill, saying it has "been a long time coming".

Papua New Guinea's prime minister Peter O'Neill has promised to do more to speak out on behalf of Melanesians in Indonesian West Papua.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister says the time has come for his government to speak out about oppression of West Papuans in neighbouring Indonesia.

The chairman of the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, says inclusion in the Melanesian Spearhead Group would open up solutions for his people's self-determination struggle.

Jemima Garrett – Papua New Guinea's prime minister Peter O'Neill has promised to do more to speak out on behalf of Melanesians in Indonesian West Papua.

Jakarta – The Foreign Ministry will set up a special desk or working group to handle the Papua issue and to improve the country's engagement with its easternmost province.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua says it is vital that West Papuans have full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Jakarta – The Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) in Semarang city urged the Indonesian government under the leadership of Joko Widodo to close a number of national and foreign companies that are suspec

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia's plan to develop a smelter to process mineral ore in Gresik, East Java, has led to a protest being staged by Papuan students in Makas

United Liberation Movement for West Papua/ULMWP, newly formed West Papuan coordinating body which comprised of three main resistance groups, namely Federal Republic of West Papua, West

Ina Parlina and Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is pushing the government to make copper giant PT Freeport Indonesia establish its smelter in Papua, increasing concerns ove

Tabita Diela, Jakarta – Four activists from ProDem, an activist group, filed a citizen lawsuit against President Joko Widodo and Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of US mining giant Freeport-McMoR

Jakarta – Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should uphold human rights in Papua and bring perpetrators of rights abuses to justice.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Nani Afrida, Jayapura/Jakarta – The Cenderawasih Military Police Command in Papua is currently questioning five Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel from the Cenderawasih Mili

Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said has criticized PT Freeport Indonesia for what he deemed was poor occupational safety at its mining site in Timika, Papua, with the deat

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has told PT Freeport Indonesia to establish its planned smelter in Papua or risk being banished from the country's easternmost province.

Ben Hillier – Simon Degei sat amid the ground cover, a gaping hole in his right shoulder obscured by a bloodied tank-top, and his face covered in dirt.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three more members of an armed group led by Puron Wenda were arrested at a trade center in Jayapura, Papua, on Wednesday.

The West Papua National Liberation Front will submit its application for West Papua to become a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group by the end of the next week.

Jakarta – The Papua Police intensively interrogated on Saturday two members of the Puron Wenda-led armed group arrested in Wamena, Papua.

Paul Gregoire – Earlier this month, Indonesian forces reportedly burned down villages and conducted mass arrests across the province of West Papua.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has protested the government's approval of giant miner PT Freeport Indonesia's plans to build a smelter in Gresik, East Java, saying t

The Indonesia researcher for Amnesty International says there is little sign of progress being made in the investigation into five students who were killed by the military in West Papua.

Sally Andrews – As one of his first official actions as Indonesia's president-elect, Joko Widodo announced his intention to build a presidential palace in West Papua.

Rangga Prakoso, Jakarta – Papua disapproves of mining giant Freeport Indonesia's plan to build a smelter facility outside Papua, calling the move indicative of the company's lack of good deeds to t

Retno Ayuningtyas, Rangga Prakoso & Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Freeport Indonesia, a unit of the US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, has given its full commitment to the government to build

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Labora Sitorus, a chief brigadier police officer in Raja Ampat, West Papua, has been included on the list of most wanted fugitives in West Papua and a team has been e

The international spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua says the group will submit its application to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group in February.

The Australia West Papua Association says there was no improvement in the human rights situation in the region in 2014, despite some governments claiming abuses against Papuans are a thing of the p

Fiji's opposition parties have rallied behind the Free West Papua Movement in a move they hope will put pressure on authorities to act.

An exiled West Papuan independence leader says people from a remote village near the Freeport mine have fled into mountains for fear of the Indonesian military.

The Australia West Papua Association says there was no improvement in the human rights situation in the region in 2014, despite some governments claiming abuses against Papuans are a thing of the p

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The police in Papua have arrested two civilians suspected of murdering two personnel from the South Sumatra Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in Utikini village, Temba

Jakarta – The National Police Headquarters have set up a fact-finding team to investigate a shooting in Enarotali, Papua, during which four civilians were killed and dozens of others injured on Dec

Helen Davidson – Indonesian authorities have conducted mass arrests and burned down the homes of West Papuan villagers in response to the deaths of two police officers, a West Papuan independence l

Andreas Harsono – In December, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo promised the long-suffering residents of Indonesia's easternmost area of Papua something extraordinary: The opportunity to be heard by

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A joint team of National Police (Polri) and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel is pursuing an armed civilian group led by Ayub Waker suspected to be behind the recen

The spokesperson for the global Free West Papua Campaign claims up to 1000 police and military deployed to the Timika region in West Papua have tortured people in the area.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia's Human Rights Committee announced on Thursday that it had formed a team to investigate possible human rights abuses committed in the fatal shootings of at least

Index: ASA 21/001/2015

Jayapura – The Papua Police have nabbed 13 members of an armed separatist group led by Ayub Waker following the deaths of two Mobile Brigade personnel and a Freeport employee in Utikini village, Mi

Jakarta – Gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia has appointed former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief Maroef Sjamsuddin as its new president director to replace Rozik B.

Richard C.

West Papua Action Auckland is urging the government to do more to protect people from ongoing security force violence in Indonesia's Papua region.

Jayapura – The Papua Police were hunting an armed group led by Ayub Waker who is believed to be responsible for the recent fatal shootings of two Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers.

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Police have arrested a man suspected to be behind the killings of two policemen and a security guard in Utikini, near Freeport's Grasberg mine in Papua, last week.