Jayapura, Jubi – Activists from the West Papuan National Committee said they were tortured and beaten up by police during their detention.

Jakarta – Indonesia's House of Representatives has condemned a meeting by the International Parliamentarians for West Papua, or IPWP, that took place at the British Houses of Parliament in London earlier this week, calling it a "reflection of colonial acts."

Godwin Ligo – Leaders and members of the Vanuatu-Free West Papua Association (VFWPA) presented a Communique to the Deputy Director of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat (MSG) Mr. Molean Kalpak, requesting him to pass the Communique on to the MSG Chair and Leaders to allow West Papua full membership in the MSG and keep Indonesia out of the MSG.

Jeremy Corbyn has drawn attention to the plight of West Papuans, saying the recognition of human rights and justice should be the "cornerstone" of the UK Labour party's foreign policy.

The Labour leader made the comments in an address to a meeting of international parliamentarians, supporters and activists in London on Tuesday.

Matilda Simmons and Tevita Vuibau – SODELPA says they continue to stand with the people of West Papua in their struggle for self determination, their show of support coming just days after a damning report on Indonesian human rights violations in West Papua was released.

On Monday as many as 1,700 people were arrested in demonstrations across all of the main Papuan cities.

The demonstrations were in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, as well as the International Parliamentarians for West Papua summit held in London this week.

Claims by Canberra that the plight of West Papuans in the Indonesian region is improving are false, according to an Australian Catholic Church fact finding mission's report.

The mission in February by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission in Brisbane has produced a report called 'We will Lose Everything'

AWPA has written to the Foreign mMnister re recent arrests in West Papua.

Nether Dharma Somba – Rights activists in Papua have slammed the arrest of 1,888 students and activists who were carrying out a peaceful rally on Monday to support the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's campaign to gain full membership of the Melanesia Spearhead Group.

They said the arrests revealed Indonesia's paradoxical democracy and attitude toward human rights.

Len Garae – "This report is an act of solidarity, I make it clear that this struggle is the struggle of the people of Papua. It is not my struggle as an Australian, but I am proud to be in solidarity with them and to support them in whatever they want."

Nearly 2000 people were arrested on Monday, 2 May 2016, in mass unarmed civilian-based uprisings across West Papua, reports We Are Moving Stories.

"The Indonesian police were completely overwhelmed by the size, scale and disciplined defiance of the activists who came from a range of groups organised by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua," says author Jason MacLeod.

Steve Cannane – UK Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn has spoken out about the plight of the West Papuan people and supported a push for democratic reform in the Indonesian province.

Around 1,700 Papuan political activists were arrested by police forces both in Papua region and other Indonesian provinces in the country, simple for exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.

London (Free West Papua Campaign/Pacific Media Watch) – An historic step on the road to freedom for West Papua was taken in London today. At a meeting of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua in the Houses of Parliament, a new declaration was made calling for an internationally supervised vote on the independence of West Papua.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) has urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to punish the National Police chief over the arrest of 1,724 activists in Papua for holding rallies in support of a pro-referendum group.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Church officials in Indonesia welcomed a report by an Australian archdiocese that criticizes the country for persistent human rights abuses in West Papua, and the church for not doing enough to stop it.

Activists have accused Indonesian police of being heavy handed as they arrested pro-independence protesters in the eastern province of Papua.

Latest reports from Indonesia indicate police arrested almost 1700 West Papuans yesterday for taking part in a series of demonstrations across Papua region.

The demonstrations were held to express support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, which is vying for full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The report of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission on its "shadow" human rights fact-finding mission to West Papua this year has found no improvement in human rights.

It has called on the United Nations to investigate human rights abuses and for the Indonesian government to negotiate with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua to find a pathway towards self-determination.

West Papua Action Canterbury and West Papua Action Auckland call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take action over the latest mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators in West Papua.

The New Zealand government has blocked a motion moved without notice by an opposition Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty on West Papua.

The motion was to have asked New Zealand's parliament to support the call by the International Parliamentarians for West Papua for a referendum on self-determination in Indonesia's Papua region.

Helen Davidson – The United Nations must pass a resolution for an internationally supervised vote for independence in West Papua, global parliamentarians and independence advocates have said.

Jayapura, Jubi – Journalists have been banned from covering the arrest of protesters who support the West Papua Liberation (United Liberation Movement for West Papua) in the square of the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters in Kotaraja, Papua on Monday (2/5/2016).

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned from national and local sources that on May 2, police officers arrested in total 1,724 indigenous Papuans who took part in a peaceful protest in Jayapura and other cities in Papua.

Jayapura, Jubi – Monday, (02/05/2016), Papua Police arrested protesters including West Papua National Committee (KNPB) members, student activists and Papuan pro-independence supporters.

Indonesian police have made widespread arrests in Papua region as West Papuans prepare to hold demonstrations.

Protests were planned for today in most of the region's urban centres as West Papuans mark the anniversary of transferral of administration in the former Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia in 1963.

A public march in Vanuatu's capital delivered a petition to the Melanesian Spearhead Group secretariat calling for full membership for West Papua.

The President of Vanuatu's council of chiefs says the Melanesian Spearhead Group needs to grant full membership to the United Liberation Movement of West Papua.

Nethy Dharma Somba – Less than three months after his presidential inauguration, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo arrived in the Papua capital of Jayapura in December 2014 to a rock-star welcome.

The Australia West Papua Association is calling on the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to condemn the arrests of peaceful demonstrators in West Papua.

As many as 178 activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), the Regional Parliament (PRD) and the students were taken to the City Police Resort (Police) Jayapura today the 2 May.

Jakarta – Police have arrested 500 demonstrators during a rally in support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, or ULM, and its effort to reach full member status of the regional Melanesian Spearhead Group in Jayapura on Monday (02/05).

Arrests by Indonesian security forces of West Papuan demonstrators have just begun minutes ago in Jayapura, as West Papuan people begin planned mass mobilisations to demand self-determination and referendum on the occupied colony's future.

The Australia West Papua Association condemns the arrest of 41 KNPB activists in Jayapura on Friday 29 April. The activists were arrested simply because they were handing out leaflets informing people of a rally to be held on the 2nd May.

The Australia West Papua Association today condemned the arrest of 41 KNPB (National Committee of West Papua) activists in Jayapura yesterday. "The activists were arrested simply because they were handing out leaflets informing people of a rally to be held on May 2," said AWPA in a statement.

Several Pacific leaders are headed for London to participate in the International Parliamentarians for West Papua meeting at Westminster.

The IPWP is a cross-party global network of politicians who support self-determination for West Papuans, the indigenous people of Indonesia's Papua region.

Jane Joshua and Len Garae, Port Vila – The Melanesian Spearhead Group Special Leaders Summit scheduled to be held in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila next week has been postponed to a date yet to be confirmed.

Jayapura, Jubi/BenarNews – Papuans reacted coolly to the central government's plans to resolve alleged human rights violations in Papua, saying that they doubted that the victims would be involved.

Mitra Tarigan, Antara, Jakarta – Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Imdadun Rahmat has urged the government to immediately bring two gross human rights violations in Papua to court. The two cases are human rights violations in Wasior in 2001 and Wamena in 2003.

Jayapura, Jubi – Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan on Monday (25/4/2016) led a coordination meeting on alleged human rights violations in Papua and Papua Barat provinces.

Edo Karensa & Robert Isidorus, Jakarta/Tolikara – A clash over village fund disbursement has left two dead and at least 96 homes damaged in the Tolikara district, Papua, this month. Police and military authorities continue to deny the incident.

An American Samoan has demonstrated her support for West Papuan independence during the territory's Flag Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Pago Pago

Jane Joshua – The incumbent Government led by Prime Minister Charlot Salwai wants to see the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) become a full fledged member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

Daily Post was informed this was part of Decision 57 of 2016 on the MSG in the Council of Minister's (COM) 9th Ordinary meeting.

The British prime minister David Cameron has been urged to challenge Indonesian President Joko Widodo over his country's human rights record, including West Papua.

The call from Amnesty International comes as President Widodo visits the United Kingdom this week as part of his European tour.

Margaret Wise, NADi, Fiji (The Fiji Times/Pacific Media Watch) – Giving voice to the voiceless and championing the rights of all people is essentially about telling the truth.

And that is how journalists in Fiji and the Pacific should approach the ongoing human rights violations happening in West Papua.

Len Garae – Thousands of members of civil society organisations and the public in Port Vila and rural communities around Efate, are expected to take part in a peaceful march from Fatumaru Bay to the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat at Independence Park, to demand the MSG Leaders to give full membership of the Melanesian Sub Regional Organisation to the people of West Papua next Friday on

Whilst abroad for a study exchange year in Melbourne, Connor Woodman discovered that Indonesia's effort to thwart the independence movement of its troubled Papuan provinces spreads all the way to Australia's urban heartlands.

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) reports that 63 people have been arrested over the last nine days in West Papua. Most of those arrested are activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and the Regional People Parliament (PRD).

The head of Indonesia's leading human rights organisation has described how the nation is in a type of denial about festering rights issues in Papua region.

Haris Azhar, the co-ordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, or KONTRAS, says there has been no improvement in the area of rights in Papua since president Joko Widodo took office in 2014.

Yesterday's demonstrations in West Papua have been described as a sign of widespread support for integration with the wider Melanesian community.

The peaceful demonstrations in the main cities of Indonesia's Papua region were attended by thousands of West Papuans under the banner of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) reports that on April 12 district police arrested 15 KNPB activists and vandalised the KNPB secretariat in Kaimana district, West Papua.

Demonstrations in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua have been taking place in cities across Indonesia's Papua region today.

Ground reports said large peaceful demonstrations have been held in the seven main cities of Papua and West Papua provinces: Jayapura, Yakuhimo, Manokwari, Fak-Fak, Merauke, Timika and Sorong.