Amerindians in Guyana are supporting West Papua's calls for independence from Indonesia. West Papua is half of the island of New Guinea, which is located north of Australia.

Rallies and arrests in West Papua coincide with establishment of International Lawyers for West Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua People's Council (MRP) proposed two ordinances in this week's plenary session to strengthen indigenous Papuans' basic rights and the principal o

Nabire, Indonesia – Indonesian police shot and injured 11 people on Monday at a pro-independence rally in Papua province, where demonstrators urged an election boycott and protested abo

Up to fifteen people were arrested near Jayapura after police raided the office of the Papuan Customary Council and in Wamena three people including one junior high school student were

Christian Motte & Putri Prameshwari – Thousands of people took part in a pro-independence rally in Papua Province on Friday, calling for a boycott of the legislative elections.

Thousands of people rallied in Indonesia's eastern Papua region on Friday to call for independence from Jakarta and a boycott of elections amid a police crackdown on dissent, activists

Timika, Indonesia – Thousands of people rallied in Indonesia's eastern Papua region Friday to call for independence from Jakarta and a boycott of elections amid a police crackdown on di

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says the Indonesian military may be sponsoring militia groups to masquerade as the Free West Papua Movement, or OPM, in ongoing fighting

Jayapura – Over a thousand people rallied in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, on Tuesday demanding a referendum on independence from Indonesia and rejecting the forthcoming elec

Jakarta – Indonesia's military denied Tuesday a disclosure by US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

Christian Motte & Fidelis E.

Ronald May – Recent reports from Indonesia's West Papua of a raid on a military post by separatist fighters, and the news that a former West Papuan leader, Nicolaas Jouwe, has returned

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Agencies – The military on Monday denied a report that it had received illegal protection payments from US mining giant Freeport McMoran in Papua Province

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Co-founder of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) Nicholas Jouwe arrived back in his homeland of Papua on Sunday after more than 40 years in exile abroad.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – A co-founder of the outlawed Papuan independence movement, Nicolaas Jouwe, has returned to his homeland after more than 45 years in exile, calling for a new dialog

Jakarta – US-based mining giant Freeport McMoRan (FCX) is paying Indonesian troops to protect a large gold and copper mine in Papua, despite regulations requiring the military to hand o

Jayapura – Papua Police has offered a Rp 10 million (US$900) cash reward for the capture of any of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) members responsible for the outbreak of violence in Punc

Markus Makur, Jakarta – Top figures from various tribes in Papua, including a number of tribe chiefs, are fighting for legislative seats.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Nicolas Jouwe, cofounder of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) has arrived in Jakarta after 40 years exile in the Netherlands to renounce the restive province's inde

Jakarta – The co-founder of a Papuan rebel group fighting to split from Indonesia has returned after more than 40 years in exile to renounce the independence struggle, officials said Th

At a high-level Indonesian intelligence meeting at Ifar Gunung, the Indonesian Army Base in West Papua, on Monday 11 June 2007, the Indonesian National Parliament set up a secret intell

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan voters have expressed a desire for young indigenous legislative candidates to represent them at a provincial level and address the major issues of

Tom Allard, Jakarta – The killing of an Indonesian soldier in Papua, allegedly by separatist guerillas, has highlighted the risks of violent outbreaks undermining the country's election

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Sally Piri – Despite increasing security disturbances in Papua Province, the military does not plan to deploy additional troops to the country's easternmo

Jakarta – The Army is planning to increase its personnel at security posts in Papua province, particularly in the Tinggi-nambut area in Puncak Jaya regency, to counter separatist attack

Jakarta – Indonesia's state news agency says separatists in the easternmost Papua province have killed a soldier.

Jakarta – Papua police chief Bagus Eko Danto reiterated on Sunday that local police would chase after members of the Papuan separatist group, the Free Papua Movement (TPN/OPM), followin

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Five Australians trapped in Papua are in a "race against time" to escape by charter plane before "arrogant" Indonesian prosecutors pounce to overturn thei

Melbourne's West Papuan community gathered at Flinders Street Station this morning to commemorate a group of imprisoned students on the anniversary of their arrest on charges of subvers

The call made during a rally by the National Action Committee of the West Papuan People during a demo at the office of the DPRP earlier this week, which included a call to boycott the e

Five Australians have spent a third day stranded at a West Papua airport as Indonesian prosecutors appeal against their release from jail.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Armed Foces Chief Gen.

Denpasar, Bali – Five Australians freed from jail in West Papua have appealed to the Australian Government for help, after Indonesian prosecutors refused to grant authority for them to

Several hundred Papuans, rallying in the name of the National Action Committee of the West Papuan People took to the streets in Jayapura on Wednesday, calling for a referendum on Papua'

Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Djoko Susilo says the main reason for many Papuans wishing to separate from the Indonesian republic stems from a massive disparity in economic

Markus Makur, Timika – Hundreds of Kei tribal members staged a rally Tuesday at the Mimika Legislative Council to demand the police investigate a Jan.

Putri Prameshwari – Two men were shot and stabbed to death and another two badly injured after they were allegedly attacked by members of the separatist Free Papua Movement, or OPM, in

Merauke – Five Australians jailed for illegally entering Indonesia's sensitive Papua province by plane have been released after winning their appeal, their lawyer said Tuesday.

Five Australians jailed in Indonesia over an ill-fated sightseeing adventure in West Papua have been released from prison while their lawyers prepare an appeal.

Arientha Primanita – Armed violence erupted again in Papua Province on Friday morning leaving one man injured after a shooting incident by what police believe was a member of the Free P

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAU-004-2009

Dear Friends,

The Australia Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, says his government discusses issues around Papua with Indonesia a lot.

An Australian activist says his government is going the wrong way about improving relations with Indonesia if it continues to ignore the West Papua issue.

A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status.

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd opened a conference in Sydney on Thursday the 19 February.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Around 300 supporters of a Papuan student activist facing trial for treason staged a rally at Jayapura District Court on Wednesday.

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-014-2009

Dear Friends,

Jakarta – The slow pace of development in Papua 12 years after the implementation of special autonomy has lead observers to believe that a reevaluation of the special autonomy law is ne

Four people have been named suspects and face more than five years in jail over a violent clash between protesters and police in Indonesia's sensitive Papua Province, police said on Thu