Indonesia, West Papua – On 16 December 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to expand palm oil plantations across West Papua as part of a broader strategy to achieve energy self-sufficiency within five years.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – On a humid afternoon in Bekasi, West Java, two chefs from distant corners of Oceania, Kia Kanuta of New Zealand and Charles Toto of Papua, worked side by side, using kindred techniques that turned the ground beneath their feet into a living stove.

Nariswari K. Nurjaman, Cambridge – Earlier this month, President Prabowo Subianto suggested that Papua should be planted with oil palm to boost biofuel production and reduce Indonesia's dependence on imported fuel.

Esti Utami – On Thursday December 18 Greenpeace Indonesia held a creative peaceful action in front of the office of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in Jakarta.

Igor ONeill – Travellers flying over Merauke, on West Papua's southern coast, have long been treated to a sight that's hard to find remaining anywhere in the world: an expansive lowland filled with natural forests, savannahs, and vast wetlands. But these days, they're also likely to see a landscape in the midst of change.

Fachri Hamzah, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia and Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat, part of Solidaritas Merauke, have criticized Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's directive to the local authorities in Papua and the Executive Committee for the Acceleration of Special Autonomy Development in Papua on Monday, December 16, 2025.

Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Indonesian Consulate for the Makassar region has stated that the burning of the Morning Star (Bintang Kejora) flag by social or mass organisations (ormas) during a demonstration at the Makassar Metropolitan District Police (Polrestabes) in South Sulawesi was wrong.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Bishop of Timika from the Order of St. Augustine (OSA), Bernardus Bofitwos Baru, has condemned President Prabowo Subianto's desire to expand palm oil cultivation in Papua. Bernardus expressed disbelief in Prabowo's claim that palm oil is intended for the benefit of the people.

As 2025 comes to an end, I would like to thank everyone who has supported a Free West Papua this year, whether through practical contributions or through their spirit.

Igor Oneill, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia today brought the voices of West Papuan environmental protesters to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesia plans to position its easternmost region of Papua as a national hub for bioenergy production, part of a broader push to curb the country's heavy reliance on imported fuel and strengthen energy self-sufficiency.

Putri Nurjannah Kurita, Sentani – The Papua chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has issued an official statement voicing serious concerns about plans by the central and regional governments.

Erick Tanjung – President Prabowo Subianto's plan to plant more oil palms in Papua for energy self-sufficiency has drawn strong criticism from environmental activists. They believe this policy ignores the lessons learned from the ecological disaster in Sumatra and has the potential to cause similar damage in Papua.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has launched the report titled "Papua in the Grip of Military Operations". The report profiles the impact of military operations on the lives of civilians in Papua between 2023 and 2025.

The launch of the report was live-streamed on YLBHI's YouTube channel on Tuesday December 16.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia and Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation have voiced their concerns over President Prabowo Subianto's push to drive palm oil, sugarcane, and cassava plantations in Papua. They believed the initiative could bring ecological disasters to the region.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has explained why he is advocating for the cultivation of palm oil in Papua, linking it to the government's goal of ending Indonesia's dependency on imported gasoline.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has banned Papua's regional heads from traveling abroad, especially if these trips use the so-called "special autonomy funds".

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto is urging the expansion of oil palm cultivation in Papua as a means to produce alternative fuel to replace hydrocarbon-based energy.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto convened regional leaders from Papua, Papuan community figures, and members of the Executive Committee for the Acceleration of Special Autonomy Development for Papua at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is pushing palm oil plantations in Papua. Prabowo wants to produce fuel from palm oil.

"And we also hope that oil palms will be planted in Papua so that they can also produce fuel from palm oil", Prabowo said at a joint briefing with regional heads from across Papua at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday December 16.

Mele Tuuakitau – As a small island state in the Pacific, Tonga is the only remaining Kingdom that has never been colonized in the region, valuing sovereignty and self-determination which are principles that could shape a moral stance for West Papua.

On 3 December 2025, at around 4:00 pm, 20-year-old indigenous Papuan, Mr Yanuarius Pekei, was shot dead while joining a protest on the connecting road from Paniai to Dogiyai in the Deiyai Regency, Central Papua Province.

West Papuan activists in Vanuatu are demanding that the Vanuatu government "take a stronger and more decisive stance" in support of the region's independence from Indonesia, the Vanuatu Daily Post reports.

Hans Makabori, Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) held a peaceful demonstration commemorating International Human Rights Day at the Abepura traffic circle in Jayapura city, Papua, on Wednesday December 10.

Jakarta – Security in Intan Jaya regency, Central Papua, has improved significantly in the past few months following a series of security operations against the Free Papua Organization (OPM) I nsurgent movement, the Indonesian Military (TNI) claimed recently.

Jayapura, Papua – The Indonesian government aims to clear 100,000 hectares of land to support rice cultivation in Papua, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said.

During a visit to the provincial capital Jayapura on Wednesday, he said his ministry is ready to help the Papua administration achieve its food self-sufficiency goals.

Jayapura – The 2014 bloody Paniai Tragedy was once again remembered by Papuan students in the study city of Manokwari, West Papua, by holding a prayer service, lighting candles and reading out a statement.

Jayapura, Jubi – Six activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) were reportedly arrested by the Jayapura District Police (Polres) in Jayapura, Papua, and seven others were injured after allegedly after being assaulted by police.

Maria Baru, Sorong – Hundreds of Papuans from various organisations held a peaceful action to commemorate the Political Manifesto Day for Papuan independence in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, on Monday December 1.

Marian Faa and Stephen Dziedzic – The first meeting of defence ministers – featuring Australia's Richard Marles and his Indonesian and PNG counterparts – will be held tomorrow morning in Port Moresby.

Giovanni Torre – The flag of West Papua was raised around the world on Monday for West Papuan National Flag Day, including at Leichhardt Town Hall in Sydney.

In 1961 the Morning Star flag, representing the West Papuan nation, officially flew for the first time – in what was then the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.

Arso Gombo, and Mirius Wenda – We are the West Papua Campaign USA, a nonprofit organization established in 2021 with the support of the Pacific Island Community Association of Washington State (PICA-WA).

Kurniawan Arif Maspul – A pregnant woman's preventable death after being refused treatment exposes the deadly gap between health coverage and real access to care in Indonesia's most marginalised regions.

This year is the 64th anniversary of the first official flying of the Morning Star flag in 1961, in the then Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.

Kristo Langker, Kiwirok, West Papua – On September 25, 2025, Lamek Taplo, the guerilla leader of a wing of the West Papua National Liberation Army (Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat, or TPNPB), left the jungle with his command to launch a series of raids on Indonesian military posts.

Jayapura – Amnesty International Indonesia is calling for a thorough investigation into a fatal drone attack in Dekai city, the capital of Yahukimo regency, in the Papua Highlands.

Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said that they condemn the attack on Tuesday evening November 25, which killed one civilian and injured one other person.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Prolonged armed conflict in Papua has forced more than 100,000 indigenous people, most of them women and children, to flee their homes. The government's failure to provide adequate protection has also left many displaced families struggling to meet basic needs, prompting serious concerns from rights advocates.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry will take over unpaid scholarship obligations for dozens of Papuan students studying abroad, after President Prabowo Subianto instructed the central government to resolve the long-running issue, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said on Thursday.

On 25 November 2025, at around 9.00 pm, residents on Gunung Street in Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province, observed a military drone repeatedly circling above their neighbourhood. According to eyewitnesses, the drone flew several loops over the area and then hovered for a few minutes above a cluster of civilian houses.

On 16 and 17 November 2025, Mrs Irene Sokoy, a pregnant indigenous Papuan woman living on one of the small islands in Lake Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province, died together with her unborn baby after being denied emergency care by four hospitals in Jayapura Regency and Jayapura City, Papua Province, in West Papua (see photo on top).

Jakarta – The Indonesian Army is enforcing security in Papua with a "smart approach" that combines proportionate force and community-focused programs, a senior official said Tuesday.

Colonel Donny Pramono, head of the Army Information Service, said the dual strategy has improved safety on the ground while helping stimulate the local economy and strengthen public welfare.

Antara, Jayapura, Papua – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has called for calm and warned against any armed conflict or political mobilization ahead of the December 1 commemoration of the West Papua independence movement.

Jakarta – A pregnant woman and her unborn child in Jayapura regency, Papua, died after a series of local hospitals reportedly declined to treat her during labour, underscoring chronic problems in the region's healthcare system.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura – PT Freeport Indonesia workers who were laid off (PHK) in 2017 are demanding that the company immediately fulfill their rights, and convey the Inspectorate's findings to the Papuan House of Representatives (DPRP).

Aida Uli, Jayapura – The Papuan Council of Churches (PCC) has recorded that as of October 2025 the number of refugees in various regions of Papua has reached 103,218.

The majority of refugees are indigenous Papuans. They have fled to other areas considered safe due to military operations and armed conflict with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

Brent Patterson – On Tuesday November 18, PBI-Canada hosted a webinar that featured Indigenous West Papuan environmental defenders Dina Danomira and Teddy Wakum along with Global Witness policy advisor Javier Garate.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 19 November 2025, judges at the Makassar District Court in Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province, sentenced four Papuan political prisoners from Sorong City to seven months' imprisonment on treason charges.

Pes Yanengga, Sentani – The commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) on November 19 is a moment to reflect on the history of the organisation's founding.

Jeff Hutton – The Indonesian administration of President Prabowo Subianto is pushing ahead with a multibillion-dollar plan to build a vast string of plantations in South Papua province that it hopes will secure domestic supplies of rice as well as sugarcane, as the government seeks to ramp up production of biofuel as a means of weaning itself off foreign sources of oil.

Silpester Kasipka, Jayapura – Students from the group Papuan Student Solidarity held a peaceful demonstration in the Lingkaran area of Abepura district in Jayapura city, Papua, on Wednesday November 19.