Reporter: Geoff Thompson

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – One of Indonesia's most senior officials has admitted that his country was directly responsible for failing to stop the murderous chaos that accompanied i

Abdul Khalik, Kuala Lumpur – In an attempt to reduce outside influence over its eastern territories, especially Papua province, and to limit the danger of separatism, Indonesia on Wedne

Cynthia Banham in Paris and Phillip Coorey on Bantam Island – The Prime Minister says he welcomes the resignation of the East Timorese Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, if it meant an end

Dennis Shanahan, Batam – Australia and Indonesia are expected to take a giant leap forward in restoring relations today with a statement of common principles and an accelerated timetabl

Brendan Nicholson – A new security treaty with Jakarta will include an assurance that Australia respects Indonesia's integrity – including its ownership of West Papua – says Prime Minis

Rohan Pearce – While not many details about the "security treaty" being negotiated between Canberra and Jakarta have been made public, the Howard government has indicated that it will i

Australia West Papua Association spokesperson Joe Collins expressed grave concerns at the proposed new security treaty with Indonesia and in particular at the Indonesian demand for a cl

Laurent Lozano, Washington – "We did have an opportunity to talk extensively about some of the challenges in our immediate region," Howard said after the talks, adding that he highlight

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – Indonesia has praised Australia's new stance against Papuan asylum seekers, indicating a thaw in the diplomatic freeze imposed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyo

Greens leader Bob Brown has called for the resignation of Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone after she accused Papuan separatists of racism.

West Papua solidarity groups today welcomed law firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques's legal action against the Howard Government and claim the proceedings will highlight undue and unlawful i

Mark Forbes – Indonesia's ambassador to Australia has blamed the Uniting Church for fomenting unrest in West Papua and criticised Canberra's response in comments likely to inflame the c

Reporter: Alexandra Kirk

Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley have misjudged public support for Papuan independence, The Greens said.

Canberra – Prime Minister John Howard assured Indonesia Sunday that he does not support the separatist movement in Papua after an Australian newspaper crudely lampooned the Indonesian p

Jakarta – Indonesia has described as "tasteless" a caricature in an Australian newspaper depicting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as a dog.

Michael Vatikiotis, Singapore – It was a potentially sticky situation.

One of Indonesia's biggest-selling newspapers has depicted John Howard and Alexander Downer as a pair of sex-crazed dingoes, dragging media outrage over the Papua visa row down to a new

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Fears that Canberra is stoking support for Papua to break away from Indonesia sparked Jakarta's strong reaction last week to Australia granting visas to Papu

Canberra – Australia tried to soothe ties with Indonesia on Monday after granting asylum to 42 boat people from the country's troubled Papua province and as media reported more Papuans

Damian Kingsbury – Australia's decision to grant 42 West Papuan asylum seekers temporary protection has put the relationship with Indonesia under its most serious strain since the East

Tony Blair MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA

26 March 2006

Dear Prime Minister,

Your visit to Indonesia: Concerns about West Papua

Sydney – The Australian government must take the issue of Papua's right to self-determination to the United Nations, the Greens say.

Jakarta – Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Australia amid a furore over Canberra's decision to grant temporary visas to 42 asylum seekers from restive Papua province.

Greens Senator Kerry Nettle has urged Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to press Indonesia for an end to violence in West Papua.

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.

Port Vila – In the 1960s, the Government of the USA shamefully sold out West Papua as a bribe to Indonesia for its cooperation in halting the spread of communism in Southeast Asia and t

Havana – President Fidel Castro has confirmed that Cuba is prepared to receive another 400 young people from Timor Leste for medical training, and to extend the new literacy method Yo s

New Delhi – India and Indonesia, Asia's largest democracies, agreed Wednesday to forge closer defense and economic ties and cooperate in fighting terrorism, Indonesia's president said.

The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre expresses alarm and disgust at recent news that Australia has signed a new Security Treaty with Indonesia.

Jakarta – Indonesia has greeted with a sigh of relief a decision by the United States Congress to omit references to Papua from the State Department Authorization Bill, saying it reflec

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Karen P.

Washington – Thirty-five members of the US Congress have called on Indonesia to lift travel restrictions to West Papua and halt the military buildup in the province where a rebellion ha

Tony Hotland and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has warned the government to take all possible measures to block a US Congress bill that questions the s

Washington – As a peace deal nears in a 29-year war in Aceh, US lawmakers are seeking support for an independence movement in another Indonesian province: West Papua, also the site of a

Jakarta – A United States Congressman assured Indonesia on Thursday of his country's support for the territorial integrity of this country, which has been plagued by secessionist moveme

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan leaders reacted cautiously on Monday to the bill recently approved by the US House of Representatives, stressing that Papua is legally part of Indo

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The House of Representatives plans to send a four-member delegation to the US to lobby congress in an attempt to block passage of a bill that raises questions ab

Neles Tebay, Rome – The government is beginning to pay the price for its reluctance to honor its commitment to fully implement Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.

Jakarta – The government should be more serious in handling problems in Papua following foreign intervention like the support given by an American senator for Papuan freedom.

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) will soon send a protest letter to the US administration through its embassy here against the US Congress adopting a bill questi

Jakarta – The US State Department announced on Friday that Washington would not support any effort that would allow Papua to gain independence from Indonesia.

Jakarta/Shenzen, China – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the US not to interfere in Indonesia's domestic affairs after the US House of Representatives recently approved a bill

Tom Allard – It has to be the most unlikely of alliances, a concord that has defied a bloody history forged in battle.

A senior Indonesian diplomat, who has accused some Australian aid groups of fuelling separatist sentiment in restive Papua, has been nominated as Jakarta's new ambassador to Australia.

Matthew Moore Herald, Jakarta – Imron Cotan has been told he will be returning to a new position, having barely completed half of his three-year term that began in November 2003.

Dan EatonSat – Fury in Australia over the jailing of a young woman in Bali for drugs smuggling has puzzled ordinary Indonesians, and given the world's most populous Muslim nation a chan

Max Lane, Murdoch WA, Australia – Since soon after the arrest of Schapelle Corby in Bali sections of the Australian media have waged a non-stop campaign agitating for her to be found in

Alan Boyd, Sydney – "Twelve brutal Indonesian troopers armed with high-caliber rifles.