John McBeth, Jakarta – American mining giant Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc has shut down production, retrenched 1,400 workers at its high-altitude Grasberg mine and put thousands on furlough as it faces the prospect of an uncertain future in a climatic stand-off with the Indonesian government.

A coalition of activists and church groups have called on Indonesia to end the widespread, yet little known violence and oppression in West Papua and to allow international journalists, observers, human rights groups and aid organizations in the country.

Jakarta – Mimika Regent Eltinus Omaleng has urged PT Freeport Indonesia to develop a smelter in the Papuan regency rather than constructing the facility outside of Papua.

Jakarta – Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said local administrations in Papua will get shares from PT Freeport Indonesia when the company divests its 51 percent shares, as required by a new regulation.

A Papua New Guinea man says he and several countrymen were subject to unfair incarceration in West Papua by Indonesian authorities.

The incident occurred early last year when a small group from PNG's Western Province travelled by boat to the Indonesian port of Merauke to sell traditional items to a local buyer.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government is now preparing state-owned aluminum producer PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) to manage a gold and copper mining site in Papua if the government can finally take over the mining site from PT Freeport Indonesia.

Krithika Varagur, Jakarta – The American mining company Freeport-McMoRan has brought the world's biggest gold mine, in the Indonesian province of West Papua, to a standstill.

Timika, Papua – The Mimika Resort Police and other security officers are taking necessary steps to anticipate possible unrest as a result of massive layoffs of workers at PT Freeport and its affiliated privatization and contractor companies.

Artika Rachmi Farmita, Surabaya – Hundreds of students of graduate and doctorate programs at the Airlangga University in Surabaya declared their supports for the government in addressing the issue with PT Freeport Indonesia.

A West Papuan English teacher, who escaped persecution to an Australian island in the Torres Strait, claims he was deported to Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby.

The man, who wants to keep his identity a secret, said he fled the West Papuan regency of Merauke, where he was trying to help a group of Papua New Guineans detained by Indonesian police.

Vincent Lingga Vincent Lingga, Jakarta – "PT Freeport Indonesia [FI] reserves of all its rights [...] including the right to commence arbitration to enforce all provisions of the contract," Freeport-McMoRan's CEO Richard C. Adkerson asserted on Monday, referring to a protracted dispute with the Indonesian government.

Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has warned gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia that if it ceased production its share prices would be sharply affected.

"Freeport is a public company. If it stops production, its shares will fall," said Sri Mulyani in Jakarta on Wednesday as reported by kontan.co, adding that there would be no winner in the dispute.

Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – Human rights violations in Papua more than tripled last year, undermining Indonesian President Joko Widodo's post election pledge to solve longstanding grievances in the restive region, church and rights activists said.

Jakarta – Richard C. Adkerson, the president and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, has said his company will give the Indonesian government four months to negotiate a new settlement with the company in relation to a dispute over Freeport's contract to operate the Grasberg mine in Papua.

More than 1000 West Papuan refugees from Indonesia living in Papua New Guinea's Western Province will be granted citizenship.

The Post Courier reported that the immigration minister, Rimbink Pato, was due to make an official announcement soon.

Timika. More than 20 foreign workers of Freeport Indonesia's contractors have left the mining site in Timika, Mimika, Papua, following restrictions on copper concentrate exports introduced in January.

Jakarta (Pantau Foundation/Asia Pacific Report/Pacific Media Watch) – A new award has been created for courage in journalism honouring West Papuan editor Oktovianus Pogau who died last year. The inaugural award has been made to freelance reporter Febriana Firdaus, who has extensively covered human rights abuses in Indonesia, says the Pantau Foundation.

Jakarta – PT Freeport Indonesia announced on Saturday the immediate resignation of Chappy Hakim as its president director, only three months after his appointment as the mining giant's top executive.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Dogiyai, Papua – While voters across the archipelago went to polling stations to cast their votes in the simultaneous regional elections on Wednesday, it was a different scene in Dogiyai regency, Papua.

Polling stations (TPS) set up in some areas appeared empty. No residents were spotted queuing at TPS, and only a few officials were seen.

The Pacific Freedom Forum says Indonesia is yet to deliver on its promise of full and free access for journalists to West Papua just months out from Jakarta hosting World Press Freedom day.

Indonesia opened access to West Papua for foreign journalists in 2015, more than 50 years after annexing the territory from the Netherlands.

Fergus Jensen, Jakarta – All work has stopped at Freeport-McMoRan Inc's giant copper mine in Indonesia, a worker union said on Thursday, just over a month after the country halted exports of copper concentrate to boost domestic industries.

Jakarta – The government has ignored a threat from gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia, the country's biggest taxpayer and major employer, to lay off its workers if an agreement with the government failed to be reached.

"If it is part of pressure, just ignore it," said Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, as reported by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

Tara Nissl – Eight journalists from eight Indonesian media outlets traveled to West Papua last week to investigate media freedom and the safety of journalists in the region, after an international delegation called on Indonesia to address press freedom violations in 2015.

Jakarta – Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono says the government has invested Rp 7.6 trillion (US$371 million) to develop infrastructure and housing in Papua and West Papua, including roads to improve access to isolated areas.

A Pacific Islands Forum team is to join monitors of the Indonesian regional elections which start tomorrow. The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor says West Papua is a sensitive issue.

The names of four political activists charged by Indonesia with treason in West Papua have been released by the human rights advocacy group Amnesty International.

Viriya P. Singgih and Grace D. Amianti, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has approved the conversion of the contracts of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia and copper producer PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara, allowing them to continue exports of their partly processed minerals.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Security authorities in Papua are on alert in four out of 11 regencies and municipalities set to hold elections on Feb. 15. They comprise Lanny Jaya, Nduga, Puncak Jaya and Tolikara.

With the presence of armed groups, security forces are working to ensure the elections in the four regencies run peacefully.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has unveiled a representative office in Manokwari, West Papua. Komnas HAM commissioner Natalius Piagi said that the commission agreed to representative office establishment in a plenary meeting on February 8.

Four Papuan political activists have been detained since 19 December 2016 in Manado, North Sulawesi Province for "rebellion" (makar). Detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, the men are considered prisoners of conscience.

Sandy Greenberg – The Indonesian occupation of West Papua has been described as a "neglected genocide", a crime against humanity being committed on a multi-generational scale, but overlooked by international observers as a matter of course.

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The government seems set to ignore threats by United States mining giant Freeport-McMoran Inc to cut production at its Papuan mine and slash its local workforce if it does not receive a permit to continue exporting copper concentrates by the middle of the month.

Jayapura, Jubi – In addition to the issue of freedom of the press is still cause for concern in Papua, Papuan women journalists face other problems that are not less alarming. Sexual harassment often override these women journalists after reporting.

Attorney-General George Brandis, Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Dan Tehan, will meet with Indonesia's top security minister Wiranto and other Indonesian Ministers today in Jakarta for the third Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) on Law and Security.

Jakarta – Australian authorities finally captured on Monday a man for trespassing on protected Indonesian property after almost a month of pursuit and multiple warnings from Indonesia.

Jewel Topsfield – A 42-year-old protester has been charged with trespassing on the Indonesian consulate-general in Melbourne after an incident which came at a time of renewed tensions in the bilateral relationship.

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

A West Papuan video-based advocacy organisation says Indonesian security forces commonly demand that it show a permit to conduct its activities.

However, one of the filmmakers behind Papuan Voices says there's no legal requirement for a permit to shoot the type of videos they do.

Unless the role and power of security forces is limited in Indonesia's troubled Papua region, more young locals will end up dead and cases like the Paniai killings will remain unsolved, writes Andre Barahamin.

On 8 December 2014, five local teenagers were gunned down in Enarotali, a town in the Paniai regency of Indonesia Papua.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?