Rabin Yarangga, Biak, Papua – At least five people were killed and five others hospitalized after a suspected World War II-era bomb exploded in Biak Numfor Regency, Papua, on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The explosion occurred beneath a stilt house near the shoreline on Walter Mongonsidi Street in Biak town, destroying several nearby homes.
Aida Ulim, Jayapura, Jubi – Representatives of Papuan women have called for resistance against oppression and National Strategic Projects (PSN) across Papua. The call was made during a free speech forum organized by the Save the Homeland Alliance (SETARA).
Arjuna Pademme, Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) in Merauke has urged President Prabowo Subianto to instruct the Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander to end military involvement in the Indigenous land dispute involving the Kamuyend clan in Merauke Regency, South Papua, and to respect both the crosses erected by Indigenous communities as blockade markers and
Indonesia, West Papua – The documentary Pesta Babi ("Pig Feast"), which examines land dispossession and the impact of resource extraction and military operations on Indigenous communities in West Papua, was officially released on JubiTV's YouTube channel on 22 May 2026 after being shown at more than 1,800 public viewings.
A legal aid group called for dialogue and an end to Indonesia's military involvement in Papua amid an ongoing land dispute over a state-backed food and energy project that triggered intense tension and protests.
On 26 May 2026, members of the Marine Corps (TNI-AL) allegedly arrested the two Papuan pupils Atinus Payage, 16, and Aman Heluka, 17, (see photo on top, source: independent HRD) in the Paradiso area of Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands Province. The boys were taken away in a military truck.
On 19 May 2026, joint security forces apprehended Mr Ruben Kobak alias Kone Kobak, the Head of Diplomacy for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Yahukimo Regional Branch, in Dekai Town, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province.
On 1 May 2026, members of Kodim 1711/Boven Digoel allegedly detained four political activists in the grounds of the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mawan Village, Mandobo District, Boven Digoel Regency, South Papua Province (see photo on top, source: independent HRD).
Johnny Blades – A West Papuan independence activist says AI-generated fake footage of her and her words has been used to spread disinformation on social media.
Adlu Raharusun, Manokwari, Jubi – Legal Aid Foundation (YLBH) Sisar Matiti has questioned the progress of a legal investigation into the alleged misuse of Rp12 billion in rehabilitation and reconstruction grant funds from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) allocated to the Teluk Wondama regency administration.
West Papuan leader Benny Wenda is urging Pacific leaders to strip Indonesia of its MSG and PIF roles as deadly clashes and fresh claims of violence and killings deepen tensions in the region.
Johnny Blades – An Indonesian filmmaker says the crackdown by authorities on his West Papua documentary in some parts of the country is a threat to democracy.
The Pesta Babi documentary looks at the social and environmental impacts of land seizures for big agri-business ventures in Papua – and the Indonesian military's role in it.
Andrew Mathieson – West Papuan separatists in the occupied territory's eastern region allege eight gold miners they shot and killed on Thursday were undercover members of Indonesian security forces.
The eight men were attacked working in the far-flung village of Korowai in the province of Highland Papua that borders Papua New Guinea.
Ajit Niranjan – An expedition to document the end days of the last tropical glaciers in Oceania has revealed sombre footage of "planetary destruction on fast-forward".
Pesta Babi (Pig Feast), the controversial Papuan documentary film critical of a major development project impacting on the environment in the southeastern Melanesian region, is stirring public debate and a "crackdown" across Indonesia.
Sorong – The documentary film "Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Times" (Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita), after being watched at more than 1,800 joint screenings (nobar), was officially broadcast on the Jubi TV Editorial YouTube channel on Friday 22.
Gamaliel Kaliele, Teminabuan, Jubi – The Indigenous Nasawat community in South Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, has rejected a village forest scheme currently being formulated by the local regency administration.
Aida Ulim, Jayapura, Jubi – One of the directors of the documentary film Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, Cypri Paju Dale, said the film is not merely a work of art or an ordinary social critique, but a testimony to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Land of Papua.
Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) has claimed responsibility for the deaths of eight gold panners in the Korowai region of Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands, on Wednesday, May 20.
A teacher and six students from SMP N 1 Senior Highschool Sinak were reportedly apprehended without warrant and subsequently tortured by military personnel during an operation in Sinak District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, on 25 March 2026. According to information received, the arrests occurred whilst classes were in progress on the school premises.
Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke has censured a documentary about development projects in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua for presenting a one-sided narrative that excludes the perspective of the Catholic Church.
Piter Lokon, Dekai, Jubi – The Yahukimo Police in Papua Highlands released Kone Kobak, the International Diplomacy Chair of the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, for the Yahukimo region, on Wednesday (20/5/2026).
Jakarta (Agencies) – Separatists in eastern Papua region have shot and killed eight gold miners they claimed were undercover members of the security forces, the military said Thursday.
The miners were attacked while working in the far-flung district of Yahukimo, Papua Pegunungan province on Wednesday, military spokesman Lt. Col. Wirya Arthadiguna said in a statement.
On 10 May 2026, security forces allegedly shot dead Mr Nopison Tebai, a 21-year-old high school student, during a joint security operation in Dogimani and Idadagi villages, Dogiyai District, Dogyai Regency, Central Papua Province. The shooting occurred near a football pitch beside the Dogiyai District Office whilst local residents were attending Sunday church service.
Arjuna Pademme, Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army Regional Command XVI Yahukimo, or TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo, has claimed responsibility for killing eight people it alleged were security personnel disguised as illegal gold miners in Korowai.
Officers of the Demta Sub-district Police detained 30-yea-old Agustinus Burame in the Demta District, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province, on 4 May 2026. While held in police custody, he was allegedly beaten by three police officers, sustaining serious injuries to his head and body (see photos below, source: independent HRD).
Jakarta – An Instagram [archive] post featuring a poster claims that the director of the documentary "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast), Cypri Paju Dale, admitted his work was funded by foreign parties. This narrative emerged after authorities disrupted public screenings of the film across several regions.
Timika – "The recent drone attack on a Catholic church in Intan Jaya has claimed civilian lives and severely traumatized the local population. As Friars Minor of the Justice and Peace Commission, we express our deep concern about the increasing violence against places of worship and unarmed residents.
Andrew Mathieson – Senior West Papuan figures have slammed the most recent Indonesian attacks on the occupied Indigenous territory of Western New Guinea.
Jacobus E. Lato – Indonesian Navy suspended the planned construction of a patrol dock close to a Church in the restive, Christian-majority Papua region following a protest joined by hundreds of Papuans.
Giovanni Torre – At least two civilians were feared dead and two others injured after an aerial bombing at a Catholic church compound in the Central Papua province, West Papua.
The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) reported at least two civilians were believed dead and two others injured after the suspected drone attack on Sunday.
Larius Kogoya, Jayapura, Papua – Aliko Walia, an 8-year-old boy who was shot during a military operation in Tenoti Village, Kembru District, Puncak Regency, on 14 April 2026, died at RSUD Mulia in Puncak Jaya Regency on Tuesday (19 May 2026).
The blocking of screenings of the documentary film Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita (Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time) shows that the authorities are increasingly allergic to criticism. The Indonesian Military (TNI) does not have the authority to ban the screening of a film, yet alone to forcibly stop it.
Adlu Raharusun, Manokwari, West Papua – Member of Indonesia's Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) for West Papua, Filep Wamafma, said the documentary film Pesta Babi serves as an important educational medium to open public discussion about the various issues currently faced by people in Papua.
Arjuna Pademme, Jayapura, Papua – The Solidarity of Paniai Students Across Indonesia in Jayapura, Papua held a free speech forum at the Paniai Dormitory in Jayapura City on Monday (18 May 2026) night, voicing opposition to the proposed establishment of several new autonomous regions (DOB) in Paniai Regency, Central Papua.
Piter Lokon, Dekai, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization Regional Defense Command XVI Yahukimo (TPNPB-OPM Kodap XVI Yahukimo) stated that two of its members from the Yamue Battalion, Marten Heluka and Yoper Payage, were killed in a firefight with Indonesian security forces in Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo Regency, on Sunday (17 May 2026) at around
Silpester Kasipka, Sentani, Jubi – Jayapura Regency has recorded the second-highest number of malaria cases in Indonesia after Mimika Regency, according to local authorities.
Jayapura Deputy Regent Haris Richard Yocku said there were 71,542 malaria cases recorded in Jayapura Regency in 2025, accounting for approximately 10.1 percent of the total malaria cases nationwide.
At least two civilians were feared dead and two others injured after an aerial bombing at a Catholic church compound in the Central Papua province.
The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) reported that at least two civilians were feared dead and two others injured after an aerial bombing at the Catholic church compound by a suspected drone attack.
On 17 May 2026, an Indonesian military drone reportedly dropped grenades on the St Paul's Catholic Church in Mbamogo Village, Agisiga District, Intan Jaya Regency, shortly after worshippers had completed Sunday mass.
Sorong – The Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Papua) believes that the statement issued by the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam) about the documentary film "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast) potentially exceeds the authority of military and threatens freedom of expression within the democratic sphere.
Laurens Ikinia, Jakarta – The eighth floor of the Tempo building in Jakarta became the setting for a gathering rich with meaning.
Johnny Blades – A West Papuan church leader has warned that ongoing killings of young Papuans allegedly by Indonesian security forces have the hallmark of genocide.
Since the start of the year there's been no stop to violent incidents in Indonesian-ruled Papua region – known internationally as West Papua.
Antara, Salman Mardira, Jakarta – The screening of the documentary Pesta Babi: Colonialism in Our Time has sparked controversy, with the military warning that the film could create misleading perceptions about Papua, while the government insists it has never ordered a ban on public screenings.
Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Bilal Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) through the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam) has stated that the tendentious narrative in the film "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast) by director Dandhy Dwi Laksono and his colleagues has the potential to disrupt social harmony in the Papua region.
Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Despite being banned at several campuses, the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM UI) is planning to hold a discussion and screening of the documentary film Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita (Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time). The event will take place at the Prof. Dr.
Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – A member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) attended a student-organized screening and discussion of the Papua documentary Pesta Babi at Udayana University on Thursday evening, raising concerns among organizers over military presence at an academic event.
News Desk, Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Regional Police has been urged to take over the investigation into a shooting allegedly involving officers from the Bokondini Police Sector in Tolikara Regency, Papua Highlands.
The shooting, which killed Elki Wunungga, occurred in Mairini Village, Bokondini District, Tolikara Regency, on April 14, 2026.
Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, claimed that the government has never instructed a ban on the screening of the documentary film Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita (which literally translates into the Party of Pigs: Colonialism in Our Era).
Disruptions and intimidation targeting screenings of a documentary on indigenous people in Papua are increasing across Indonesia, raising concern among rights groups and Church leaders over shrinking space for dissent and free expression.
News Desk, Jayapura, Jubi – The National Commission on Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (Komnas HAM RI) stated that the government is obligated to protect freedom of expression, artistic freedom, and cultural rights.