M. Ahsan Ridhoi – A working committee meeting on January 29 between the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I, TNI (Indonesian military) chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has discussed the issue of Papuan independence.

Indonesian health teams are scrambling to attend to the deadly measles outbreak in Asmat district of Papua province.

In the past few months, around 60 children have died from the disease in the remote district where malnutrition cases are also soaring.

Indonesia's battle to stem a deadly measles outbreak striking malnourished children in Papua is doomed to be repeated unless the government helps lift the isolated region out of grinding poverty, observers said.

Step Vaessen, Papua, Indonesia – In their little bodies with bones nearly piercing through their skin, the eyes of these Papuan toddlers tell their story.

We travelled for nearly 24 hours to get to the story of these children who are dying from malnutrition and a measles outbreak.

Worried parents braved long queues and scorching heat in the remote Papuan jungle to get their sick babies treated Friday, as the impoverished region grapples with a deadly measles-and-malnutrition outbreak.

Taylor McDonald – Measles in eastern Indonesia's Papua province has killed around 100 indigenous children this month although the disease is easily preventable with a safe and inexpensive vaccine.

The number of malnutrition victims in Asmat district of Indonesia's Papua province has reportedly surpassed 10,000.

Papua's police commander, Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar has told the Antara news Agency that the number could be as high as 15,000.

Andreas Harsono – A measles outbreak in Indonesia's Papua province has killed an estimated 100 indigenous Papuan children this month. As measles is easily prevented with a safe and inexpensive vaccine, these deaths should never have happened.

Bindi Bryce – Indonesia's Government has come under fire for its slow response to a severe measles outbreak in the province of Papua that has claimed the lives of dozens of children.

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police will soon establish a joint task force to help address health problems in remote areas in Papua, the country's easternmost province where outbreaks of measles and malnutrition have recently been occurring.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the health crisis facing Asmat regency in Papua, Indonesia. So far, 68 children have died from measles and serious malnutrition in Asmat.

A measles outbreak is feared to have killed about 100 malnourished people in Indonesia's Papua, an official said Sunday, highlighting a health crisis in the country's easternmost province.

Dozens of pre-school children in a region of Indonesia's Papua province have died from malnutrition and measles in the past few months.

According to an Indonesian military spokesman, local health officials have confirmed the death of 59 toddlers in Asmat regency.

Jakarta – Indonesia is deploying military paramedics to carry food and vaccines to a remote part of its easternmost province of Papua, where reports say at least 61 infants died from malnutrition and diseases such as measles.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – The central government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Papua provincial administration and the Mimika regency administration on Friday, granting the local government a 10 percent stake in the coming divestment of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Eighty-seven religious clerics from all over Papua held on Thursday a joint prayer, after which they began a 30-hour fast in order to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the province for the upcoming regional elections.

The trial of a West Papuan independence campaigner, jailed for over six months without charges, has been delayed due to the judge not appearing for court.

Yanto Awerkion was scheduled to appear on Tueday but for a fourth time the session was cancelled. The pro-independence KNPB movement said the previous three cancellations were due to a lack of witnesses.

Helen Davidson – West Papuan independence campaigners have called for the release of an activist who has been put on trial for treason after he helped gather signatures for a petition.

Yanto Awerkion was arrested for his involvement in a pro-independence petition which gathered more than 1.8m West Papuan signatures.

Andreas Harsono – Last week an activist famous in Indonesia for peacefully advocating for the independence of the country's Papua and West Papua provinces, Filep Karma, briefly became a political prisoner. Again.

A West Papua independence campaigner, held for over six months without charges, is due in court tomorrow.

Yanto Awerkion was arrested on 23 June last year because of his involvement with a petition calling for independence from Indonesia. He is due to face charges of treason, and if convicted could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison.

Since the latter part of 2017, fighters with the West Papuan Liberation Army, or TPN, have intensified hostilities with Indonesia's military and police in Tembagapura and its surrounding region in Papua's Highlands.

A former West Papuan political prisoner has been interrogated by Indonesian security forces for wearing the Papua Morning Star symbol.

Filep Karma, the most prominent pro-independence Papuan to have been incarcerated in Indonesia, was held up for questioning by military and police officers at Jakarta's main airport.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – The two parties with the highest number of seats in the Papua Legislative Council (DPRD) – namely the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Gerindra Party – must form a coalition if they want to hinder the nomination of Papua incumbents Lukas Enembe and Klemen Tinal in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Jakarta – Former political prisoner and Papuan pro-independent activist Filep Karma was intercepted by five Air Force officers upon arriving at the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Cengkarang.

Viriya P. Singgih, Jakarta – The government has once again extended the temporary permit of miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) until June 30, indicating that both parties were unable to settle their dispute before the Jan. 10 deadline.

Jakarta (Antara) – The Amole police engaged in a shootout with armed criminals at mile 61 in Tembagapura, Mimika District, Papua Province.

The shootout occurred at 7:50 a.m. local time, Chief of the Papua Provincial Police Inspector General Boy Rafli stated on Monday. No casualty was reported in the shootout, as the armed criminals fled to the jungle.

West Papuan students have demonstrated to reject Indonesia's occupation and were joined by an unprecedented wave of solidarity from people across Indonesia, reports the Free West Papua Campaign.

Chitra Paramaesti, Jakarta – Papua Military Command Area chief Col. Inf. Muhamad Aidi has denied the rumor that the National Armed Forces (TNI) has combed and shot civilians in Mugi District, Nduga Regency, Papua. "The reports are not true whatsoever," he told Tempo today.

Papua/Jakarta - The Coalition for Justice, Law and Human Rights in the Central Highlands of Papua, Civil Liberty Defenders and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) request that the Indonesian security forces, militrary and police do not act indiscriminately in the Mugi district of the Nduga regency, Papua.

Bastian Tebai, Semarang – On Tuesday December 19, the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) held simultaneous protest actions around the country against the Trikora declaration that was made on December 19, 1961, 56 years ago.

The actions, which were called by the AMP and FRI-WP, were held in 14 different cities.

Muhammad Aminudin, Malang – A demonstration by the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) in the East Java city of Malang ended in a clash with Pancasila Youth (PP) members who were offended by the protest.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Papuan religious figure Pastor John Djonga says that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's one price fuel policy in Papua has yet to run smoothly.

He says that the price of BBM (fuel) only goes down to Java prices when Widodo pays an impromptu visit to Papua. But soon after he leaves, the fuel prices shoot up again.

Kanis Dursin, Jakarta – Hundreds of Papuan students and activists held a protest in Jakarta on Dec. 1 to demand that that the Indonesian military and police be withdrawn from Papua and West Papua provinces and a fresh referendum be organized there to resolve the independence issue once and for all.

Merauke, Jubi – Hundreds of students and youth who are members of the Alliance of Students of the South Papua 'invaded' Regional Representative Office (DPRD) of Merauke Regency. The demonstration was to commemorate the World Day of Human Rights (human rights) every December 10.

Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Provincial Government highlights elements of security forces in Papua who allegedly masterminded the sale of liquor (alcohol), although there are regulations that prohibit the circulation or sale of alcoholic beverages (minol).

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman said that the United States is also responsible for the dark history of Papua recorded in the U.S. declassified files.

"The United States knew about violations of the right to self-determination and war crimes in Papua, but it did nothing," she said.

A group from the Christian Conference of Asia has reported about a pattern of severe human rights violations in Indonesia's Papua region, known as West Papua.

After a visit to Indonesian-controlled West Papua, the Conference said the indigenous Papuans face "grave human rights violations and repression... in their own home land".

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Papua and Mimika have been categorized as two among 171 regions participating in the 2018 regional elections that are most prone to security disruptions.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – Human Rights lawyer Veronica Koman considers the declassified US files on the history of the Papua independence struggle as a gift for Indonesia.

"This is a gift for Indonesia as a nation, which means that it is a historical political debt that must be solved," Veronica told Tempo on Tuesday, December 12.

Jayapura, Jubi – Commemorates the Bloody Paniai tragedy on December 8, 2014, four students and youth organizations: Papuan Youth and Student Movement (GEMPAR), Student Independent Forum (FIM), West Papua Student and Youth Solidarity (Sonamappa) and Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), staged a silent action by walking from Perumnas III Waena to Imbi Jayapura City, on Friday (December 8),in Jayapura.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – The United States has disclosed documents on Papua independence struggle. The documents say that Papuans asked for U.S. funding and armed them to fight Indonesian military in mid-1960.

The documents also recorded Papuan grievances about clashes with Indonesian security forces. Papuan nationalists have caught the attention of the United Nations (UN).

Jakarta, Indonesia – Prominent Papuans pleaded for the U.S. to give them money and arms in the mid-1960s to fight Indonesia's colonization of their vast remote territory, according to recently declassified American files that show the birth of an independence struggle that endures half a century later.

Roshni Kapur – The province of West Papua continues to be shrouded in secrecy from the rest of the world.

As International Human Rights Day approaches (10 December), The Indonesian Minister of Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu called for West Papuan delegates who attended the ULMWP Summit in Port Vila to be arrested on their return to West Papua.

David Sobolim, Jayapura – Scores of students from Solidarity Against Forgetting the Student Shootings Case in Paniai Regency have held a march from the Waena hosing estate to the Imbi Park in Jayapura, West Papua.

During the action they handed out leaflets containing demands for a full investigation in the bloody Paniai shootings which occurred three years ago on December 8, 2014.

The Jakarta Post reported two Ilyushin-76 strategic airlifters brought 81 personnel to Frans Kaisiepo Airport in Biak regency.

A Biak Airport spokesperson Putukade Wempy said the military personnel, who would be in Biak until Saturday, would only be in Biak.

The paper reported that two Tupolev TU-95 bombers were also coming, taking total personnel to 110.

A New Zealand parliament select committee has heard there is currently no pathway for West Papua to be put on the UN decolonisation list.

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee was today briefed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about West Papua, following an earlier hearing in June.

The new head of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Benny Wenda, says the organisation's agenda will not change.

Mr Wenda has replaced Octo Mote, its former secretary-general, at the head of the premier organisation pursuing Papuan independence from Indonesia.

Indonesia's Minister of Defence has called for members of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua to be arrested when they return to the country.

The pro-independence organisation has just concluded a summit in Vanuatu, where the UK-based activist Benny Wenda was elected its new chairman.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua has condemned an Indonesian government call for its members to be arrested.

The pro-independence Movement has just concluded a summit in Vanuatu, where the UK-based activist Benny Wenda was elected its new chairman.