Strong distrust remains among the indigenous Papuans of Indonesia's Merauke regency about a major "food estate" project.

About 20 protesters in support of West Papuan self-determination were defiant in the face of Indonesian nationalism "blasted at them from the embassy" and a police response in Canberra at the weekend.

"It is an immature and childish response from the Indonesian embassy," said Anthony Rumbiak, one of the rally organisers.

Stephen Jeffery – The friends of a man fined for refusing to cooperate with police during a protest outside the Indonesian Embassy expressed concern that he was kept in custody for almost 24 hours.

Elise Scott – A protester arrested outside the Indonesian Embassy has been fined and released from police custody after being held for almost 24 hours, under what his defence lawyer has described as unusual circumstances.

A global petition calling on the United Nations to put West Papua back on its decolonisation list has been launched in Britain.

The petition is open to people all around the world up until August, when a team of British swimmers plan to swim it 69 kilometres across Lake Geneva to present it to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

New statistics show indigenous Melanesians are not yet the minority they were thought to be in West Papua.

Indonesia's Statistics Office has produced an ethnic breakdown of Papua region, based on the last census in 2010 which established an overall population of 3.6 million.

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies – Indonesia has questioned why Australia is yet to arrest people who "trespassed" on the Indonesian Consulate-General in Melbourne and waved a West Papuan separatist flag when their faces were clearly visible in video footage of the event.

Yuliawati, Jakarta – Scores of police have blocked Papuan student in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta who planned to hold a demonstration today. Around 70 or so students were prevented from leaving the Kamasan student dormitory on Jl. Kusumanegara, Yogyakarta.

Badriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesian military (TNI) chief General Gatot Nurmantyo was relaxed in response to news that there is a West Papua people's petition seeking to separate West Papua from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

New statistics on the ethnic composition of Indonesia's Papua region indicate that the indigenous West Papuans are not yet the minority there.

This is despite research following the 2010 national census which extrapolated that Papuans made up around 48 percent of the entire population as the growth of the non-Papuan population soared.

Indonesia's Papua province, home of the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by the local unit of Freeport McMoRan Inc, said it has won a court battle in a claim against the company for 2.51 trillion rupiah ($188 million) in outstanding surface water taxes.

Why this is important

The West Papuan people are crying for their freedom – please sign this petition to show your support.

The world's longest-running military occupation and genocide has killed more than 500,000 people, and is destroying the world's second-largest rainforest and 50,000 years of civilisation. Why haven't more people heard of West Papua?

Arif Gunawan S., Jakarta – Activists are furious, vowing to bring the case to the Constitutional Court, while PT Freeport Indonesia has sent a letter listing some "circumstances" around the implementation of the latest mineral-ore export rules amid the inauguration of the new US protectionist president.

The Free West Papua Campaign invites you to help us launch our 2017 campaign: #BackTheSwim & #LetWestPapuaVote

Ajay Kamalakaran – The USSR supported the anti-colonial movement across Asia, and was drawn to Sukarno's quest to liberate the entire East Indies from Dutch rule. Moscow's arming and open support of Jakarta forced the Netherlands to come to the negotiating table.

Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said his side planned to improve the distribution of personnel across the country's territories, especially in the eastern part of Indonesia, including in Papua.

Len Garae – The five most prominent Ni-Vanuatu charitable organisations in the country led by the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association (VFWPA), have petitioned the Australian Government to "stop killing Melanesian people in West Papua" by way of providing financial support and military training for Indonesian Elite Kopassus and Detachment 88.

Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan has stressed that the government will require mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia to release 51 percent of its shares, stressing that there is no exception in abiding by the new mining regulation.

"There is no exception to the divestment. It must be 51 percent of its shares," said Jonan on Monday, as reported by tempo.co.

Jayapura, Papua – The Indonesian military plans to develop rice fields in the remote district of Nabire in the country's eastern province of Papua this year.

Viriya P. Singgih, Jakarta – The government has reiterated that local miners, particularly nickel, bauxite and copper miners, will be allowed to export their products should they express a commitment to build their own smelters and be able to supply domestic smelters with at least 30 percent of their input capacity.

Matt Connors – They gathered on Biak, a small island nestled in the crystalline waters of Cenderawasih Bay.

In July 1969, hundreds of stoic Papuans stood and listened, sweating in the jungle heat. Standing witness were Reuters journalist Hugh Lunn and a Dutch newspaper colleague, Otto Kuyk.

The chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, today starts a tour of the member states' capitals.

This comes after last year's repeated failures to hold a summit with the other leaders of the MSG which has been split over how to position itself on the West Papua issue.

Pontianak, W Kalimantan – Police have sent more unit of its mobile brigade to Papua to maintain security in the country's easternmost province of Papua.

"On Wednesday night I just saw off 101 members of the Mobile Brigade Corps to Papua where they would be on duty under the Papua regional police," Head of the West Kalimantan Police Insp.Gen. Musyafak said here.

Jakarta – Vidhyandhika D. Perkasa, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, or CSIS, has said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has made some economic improvements in Papua, but it is still lacking progress in political and security-related matters.

Lita Aruperes, Manado – The detention of four students from Papua who have been accused of treason by Manado Police, has been extended to Feb. 17 or 40 days since their arrest.

Jakarta – The hoisting of a separatist Free Papua Movement flag at the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne on Friday was a crime that had to be investigated by the Australian police.

Sheany, Jakarta – Spokesman of the Indonesian Embassy in Australia Sade Bimantara said on Saturday (07/01) that an investigation into a breach at the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne is ongoing.

Tama Salim, Jakarta – Indonesia has condemned the flying of a Papuan Morning Star flag on the premises of an Indonesian mission in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir called for the immediate arrest of the people responsible for what he called a "criminal act" that must be punished in accordance with the law.

Rachael Hocking – A West Papuan activist has described Indonesia as 'hyper-sensitive,' for its decision to suspend a language-training programme in Australia.

Len Garae – The Chairman of Vanuatu Free West Papua Organisation, Pastor Allan Nafuki, has expressed utter disappointment at leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group for not fulfilling their promise to push through West Papua's application to become a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group this year.

Differences in approach between Indonesian and West Papuan representatives reached a head at Melanesian Spearhead Group meetings in Vanuatu last week.

Len Garae – The Melanesian Spearhead Group Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting at the Secretariat in Port Vila this week has not dealt with Indonesia's Associate Membership of MSG or West Papua's Observer Status of MSG.

Nauru's government has confirmed that an Indonesian government delegation visited the country this month.

An official with Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Jauhari said the purpose of the visit was to discuss how to increase bilateral relations.

Four more people have been charged with treason after demonstrating for West Papuan self-determination on Monday.

Monday, which was the 55th anniversary of the first Indonesian military invasion of Papua, was marked by demonstrations in at least 14 Indonesian cities. About 500 people were reported to have been arrested for participating in the demonstrations.

Dan McGarry – Vanuatu Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, was cheered by approximately 50 leaders of West Papua who are currently in Port Vila, when he assured them his Government's position on West Papua "has not changed and will not change".

Moses Ompusunggu and Lita Aruperes, Jakarta/Manado – Jakarta is continuing its strong handed approach to Papua and West Papua, the country's easternmost provinces torn between poverty and violence, despite calls to soften its stance in handling the restive region.

Over 500 people were reportedly arrested from West Papua demonstrations in Indonesia.

The Jayapura demonstration was one of more than 14 rallies in Indonesian cities, calling for West Papuan rights to self-determination to be respected. More than 500 people were reported to have been arrested for participating in the rallies.

There were over 500 reported arrests from West Papua demonstrations in Indonesian cities yesterday.

The demonstrations were calling for self-determination for West Papuans on the anniversary of the first Indonesian military invasion in 1961.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) and its local partner in Papua, Elsham Papua, condemned intimidation and violence by police officers against activist Whens Tebay during a rally in Jayapura on Monday.

There are signs of more imminent arrests of West Papuan demonstrators in towns across Indonesia's Papua region.

The West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, had notified police about its intention to hold a march today to commemorate the first Indonesian military invasion in 1961.

Despite facing the constant threat of violence and arrest for calling for greater autonomy and an end to rights abuses by Indonesian security forces, Papuans are sending out a message of hope and peace this Christmas by constructing nativity scenes.

Jakarta – Papuan and non-Papuan activists held a march in Jakarta on Monday to demand that the United Nations (UN) respond to the current heated situation in the easternmost part of the country.

Manado, North Sulawesi – The Manado Police arrested more than 70 Papuan students who were about to stage a rally on Monday, accusing them of treason.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian police have detained dozens of people ahead of a West Papua independence protest on Monday.

At least 200 people were arrested in several cities in Papua and Java, said Veronica Koman, a lawyer for Papuan independence activist Filep Karma.

Six members of the KNPB were arrested in Nabire on Friday the 16 December.

Four members were arrested at the Police station when they went to inform the police of a planned peaceful demonstration to be held on the 19 December. Two other members were arrested when the security forces raided the home of resident Zadrak Kudiai.

Fergus Jensen, Jakarta – Chappy Hakim, a retired air force chief who says he knows next to nothing about mining, now heads Indonesia's biggest copper producer, entrusted to use his connections to guide it through regulatory uncertainty to a renewed contract for its mine.

Eddie Osifelo – Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has include Micronesia, Polynesia, and African countries to fight against human rights violations in West Papua.

A conference of indigenous Papuans affected by the forestry, plantation and mining industries was held in Sorong on 2nd and 3rd December 2014, a follow-up to a similar conference held in Waena, Jayapura in 2014. This is the joint statement agreed by participants in that meeting.

Joint Declaration

Jakarta – Indonesian ambassador-designate to New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya, has made it his mission to inform the people of the South Pacific nation about the improved conditions in Papua and West Papua once he has been cleared to commence his duties in Wellington next year.

Just five months before Indonesia is set to host UNESCO's 2017 celebration of World Press Freedom Day, its government still has not met a regional human rights watchdog's demands to address press freedom violations in the country's restive West Papua province.