Fana Suparman & Erwin C Sihombing, Jakarta – A former police officer turned convict who escaped from West Papua's Sorong Prison last week turned himself in to authorities in the early hours of Monday (07/03).

Benny Mawel, Jayapura, Indonesia – Dozens of young Catholics in West Papua protested in the provincial capital Manokwari March 2, demanding that police stop harassing an activist priest recently questioned for treason.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Governor Lukas Enembe called on residents on Tuesday to maintain tolerance and respect following a demand from a group of churches to ban the construction of a mosque in Jayawijaya regency.

West Papua Action Auckland
Box 68-419
Auckland

25 February 2016

Fax 04 817 6510

Hon Murray McCully,
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Parliament Buildings,
Wellington.

Dear Mr McCully,

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAU-002-2016

Dear Friends,

AWPA has written to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop concerning the intimidation of West Papuan representatives from the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and other activists who attended the opening of an office in the town of Wamena in the Papuan highlands on the 15 February.

Benny Mawel in Jayapura and Ryan Dagur in Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian police are seeking to question a Catholic priest over possible treason charges for leading a prayer service attended by members of an alleged Papuan separatist group.

Lesley Sanga – Indonesia president Joko Widodo has turned down Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's request for a meeting to discuss the West Papua issue.

In the wake of more intransigence from Indonesia, the Melanesian Spearhead Group has called for Jakarta to hold talks with the United Liberation Movement of West Papua.

At a meeting in New Caledonia the FLNKS spokesman, Victor Tutugoro, said the issue of West Papua must be pursued with vigour by the MSG.

A New Zealand journalist and film producer hopes her new short film about the plight of West Papuans will serve as the impetus for discussion about the situation in Indonesia's Papua region.

'Run it Straight' depicts the decision by a rugby league club in Wellington to demonstrate their members' support for West Papuans, who they consider fellow Pacific Islanders.

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has told the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), which campaigns for Papuan independence, to leave the country, as it could pose a threat to the country's territorial integrity.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura, Indonesia – Protesting tribal youths in Papua urged the Indonesian government to seize operations of the U.S.-based PT Freeport McMoRan copper mining company and install a Papuan as the company's head.

Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court sentenced on Thursday Jundi Wanimbo and Ariyanto Kogoya each to two months and 26 days in jail for inciting a riot that led to damage being caused to dozens of kiosks around a mosque.

"Hopefully the defendants will accept the verdict and return to Karubaga, Tolikara, and resume working," presiding judge Adrianus Infaindan said.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua says the opening of its new office in Wamena reflects its strong support among the indigenous people of Indonesia's Papua region.

Robert Isidorus & Alin Almanar, Jayapura/Jakarta – Police in Papua have detained two people deemed "mainly responsible" for allegedly establishing an office for the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) in Wamena, a police official said.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua has opened an office in the town of Wamena in the Highlands of Indonesia's Papua province.

The Movement comprises leading West Papuan political organisations, representing the indigenous people of Indonesia's Papua region at the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says good progress is being made by Papua New Guinea on registering all West Papuan refugees in the country.

Jayapura – Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw has denied accusations that officers from the Mimika Baru Police assaulted and tortured a local man, a picture of whom, stripped and with his hands tied, has gone viral on social media.

Tama Salim, Jakarta – Lawmakers have criticized the government for lacking a unified approach in dealing with separatism in Papua, the country's easternmost province.

Jakarta – PT Freeport Indonesia has received a recommendation from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for the extension of its export permit although the gold and copper mining giant has yet to pay a roughly US$530 million deposit as a guarantee for its development of a smelting plant.

The government will consider a request for an amnesty and living assistance from 10 former members of a Papuan separatist group known as the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – What is needed most in Papua is not the construction of railways or the extension of Freeport Indonesia's contract, but a dialogue between Jakarta-Papua to seek a common ground, researcher for Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Cahyo Pamungkas said.

Jayapura – Police on Wednesday seized ammunition, two government-issued firearms and an airsoft gun from two houses in Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua.

"We raided two houses and found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two firearms and an airsoft gun," Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sondang Siagian told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Jakarta – The Free Papua Movement (OPM) has denied that hundreds of rounds of ammunition, firearms and explosives confiscated by police during a raid on Wednesday night belonged to the organization, and have accused the authorities of staging the arms find.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan legislator Laurenzus Kadepa accused the Indonesian Government of lacking ideas to solve problems in Papua.

As a result, authorities resorted to stigmatizing the resistance of civilians, including the Papua Free Movement, by branding them Security Disturbing Movements, separatists, armed groups and recently terrorists.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Golkar lawmaker Tantowi Yahya urged the government to 'counter' news about Papua online. Tantowi made the remarks at a national seminar held by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in Jakarta last week.

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesian authorities compiled a secret dossier of prominent Papuans that details their "weaknesses" – such as women and alcohol – and outlines a strategy to "suppress" the independence movement.

Ten former members of a Papuan separatist group, the National Liberation Army/Free Papua Movement (TPN/OPM), have asked the government to grant them an amnesty, a senior intelligence official has confirmed.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – The chairman of the Jayapura city branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Victor Mambor, said although President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has declared that Papua is open to foreign journalists, the fact on the ground is different.

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – Copper mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia will see its exports halted starting Friday after failing to realize its commitment to smelter development.

A documentary from Sydney musician-turned-filmmaker Anthony 'Ash' Brennan has seen a local charity gig for West Papuan blow up into a global event.

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – Amid concerns of a negative impact on the local economy, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has eased its stance over requirements for copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia to obtain an export permit extension.

Victor Mambor, Jakarta, Jubi – Legislator Tantowi Yahya reminded the Indonesian Government to not underestimate the Papua issue and it has always been a burning topic among the Pacific countries under the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

Robert Isidorus, Jakarta – At least 10 rebels from the separatist group Free Papua Organization, or OPM, operating in the remote highlands of the restive province of Papua have surrendered to Indonesian security officials, a local government official told media on Tuesday (26/1).

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Papuans want dialogue between with Jakarta and this has been constantly echoed in recent years, but there has been no response from Jakarta.

The Executive Secretary of the People's Network, Septer Manufandu, head of representative office Komnas HAM Papua, Frits Remanded, coordinator of the Papua Peace Network (JDP)

Church leaders in West Papua appear concerned about religious extremism in the region.

Father Neles Tebay of the West Papuan Catholic Justice and Peace Secretariat says all mainstream churches in Indonesia's Papua region, including Christian and Muslim faiths, are pushing for local police to keep a watch on fundamentalist groups.

Jayapura – U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Roberth O Blake held a meeting with Papuan church leaders here on Saturday.

No reporters were allowed to cover the meeting such as one the ambassador had earlier with leaders of local non-governmental organizations.

The chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has offered to facilitate a meeting between the Indonesian government and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

West Papua has seen a low-level separatist war since Jakarta took over the former Dutch colony in the 1960s.

Phelim Kine – There are new hazards for foreign journalists attempting to report from Indonesia's restive easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua (generally referred to as "Papua"): visa denial and blacklisting. Just ask Bangkok-based France 24 TV correspondent Cyril Payen.

Tama Salim, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs plans to set up a working committee with the objective of "assisting" Attorney General Office (AGO) prosecutors in their investigation of the high-profile Freeport conspiracy case.

Indonesia's government is unhappy with the price on offer for shares in Freeport Indonesia, which operates a massive mine complex in Papua.

West Papuans have long expressed frustration about the environmental destruction caused by the Freeport mine operations in Mimika regency.

More details have emerged about the visit to West Papua by the US Ambassador to Indonesia, including American concern about destruction of rainforest in the region.

Papuan activists met with Ambassador Robert Blake in Jayapura on Tuesday to discuss issues such as human rights.

Anton Hermansyah, Business – PT Freeport Indonesia has failed to fulfill its planned smelter construction progress and thus the US gold and copper mining giant must keep paying 5 percent export duties and fines, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said has said.

Ayomi Amindoni – House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing the energy sector has described a share value that PT Freeport Indonesia offered to the Indonesian government as unrealistic.

Fresh from a trip to West Papua, the United States Ambassador to Indonesia reportedly expressed concern about human rights abuses in the country's remote, eastern region.

Robert Isidorus, Jayapura – Papuan activists met with US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake in the provincial capital on Tuesday to discuss human rights, politics and US-owned Freeport Indonesia.

Tama Salim and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Following the resignation of PT Freeport Indonesia (Freeport) president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah plans to set up an inquiry to investigate irregularities in the local subsidiary of the giant US gold and copper mining firm.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Jubi – Papua legislator Rube Magai said a visit by US ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake to Papua should not only involve sight-seeing but also focus on resolving the conflict.

He said the United States should not only think about its own interests, but also participate in pushing for an end to the conflict in Papua.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is set to hold a limited Cabinet meeting to review land-use rights in Papua at his office on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Also to be discussed at the meeting is the acceleration of the development of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), a program that is part of the food sovereignty agenda formulated by Jokowi's administration.

Their leader Jacob Rumbiak arrived in Honiara on Friday to further discuss the intention with local supporters.

A member of the Solomon Islands Solidarity Group for West Papua Lily Chekana told the Sunday Star an office space was already allocated for West Papua.