A West Papuan human rights campaigner says a 17-year-old high school student was shot dead on Monday in Timika in the Indonesian province.
Australia-based Paula Makabory says another student was badly wounded when the two students were pursued by security forces.
Jayapura, Jubi – The hostage-taking of two Indonesian citizens by an alleged rebel group in Papua New Guinea has been used as a pretext to deploy more troops on the border, accoriding to a Papuan legislator.
Jakarta – Muslims in Tolikara, Papua, who clashed with a local church congregation in July, celebrated a peaceful Idul Adha holiday on Thursday.
Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Plans to revive a massive commercial agribusiness and biofuel plant in the Indonesian province of Papua violate the land rights of the indigenous and local communities who have inhabited the region for generations, Church and land rights activists said.
Jakarta – National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil has called on giant gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia to increase its procurement of goods and services from state-owned enterprises (BUMN) as well as from other domestic sources, rather than importing them from abroad.
Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesian government is desperate to avoid further condemnation of this heavy military build up. In the past few days there have been reports, mainly from the Indonesia media of Indonesian loggers being kidnapped by West Papuans living in PNG, and later being rescued.
The Vanuatu opposition MP Joe Natuman says the government should speak up more about West Papua. Joe Natuman was replaced as prime minister by Sato Kilman in June this year following a motion of no-confidence against him.
Yogyakarta, Jubi – "The real Free Papua Movement (OPM) do not create havoc. They are not murderers, terrorists or criminals as stigmatized by the State all the time," Papua Legislator Laurenzus Kadepa told Jubi on Sunday (20/9/2015) from Jayapura, Papua.
Robert Isidorus, Papua – The two Indonesian loggers held captive by a Papuan separatist group earlier this month in Papua New Guinea said they were stripped naked and beaten by their captors during their week-long ordeal.
Jakarta – The government's successful efforts in ensuring the freedom of two Indonesian loggers kidnapped and brought to Papua New Guinea last week have drawn mixed reactions from officials and experts.
Yogyakarta, Jubi – Two activists of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Hariel Luluk and Arpius Magayong, were arrested by the local police in Yahukimo while distributing flyers announcing the results of the Pacific Islands Forum meeting on the West Papua issue.
Yogyakarta, Jubi – Papua councilor Lauzensus Kadepa accused the national media in Jakarta of fuelling the conflict in Papua.
Victor Mambor – The night began as a celebration of academic achievement but ended in the latest shooting of civilians by security forces in Papua, Indonesia's remote easternmost province.
Robert Isidorus, Banjir Ambarita & Ezra Sihite, Jayapura/Jakarta – The rebel leader accused of kidnapping two Indonesian loggers and fleeing with them across the border to Papua New Guinea has denied any involvement in the incident, hinting he was being framed by the armed forces.
Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Security forces in Jayapura have launched a manhunt for an unknown assailant who stabbed to death a soldier outside the main military base in the Papuan capital in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred at around 1:25 a.m. as the soldier, identified as Master Pvt. Langgeng, was carrying out a routine patrol of the base's perimeter.
Port Moresby (ULMWP/Pacific Media Watch) – The Solomon Islands Special Envoy on West Papua, Mathew Wale, today cautiously welcomed the decision by the Pacific Islands Forum leaders to take forward a request to the Indonesia government on a fact finding mission on human rights.
Jayapura, Jubi – Indonesian Minister of Rural and Underdeveloped Region and Transmigration, Marwan Jafar, contradicted President Joko Widodo's pledge to terminate the transmigration program in Papua.
Port Moresby (Pacnews/PNGLoop/Pacific Media Watch) – Solomon Islands will not be intimidated by Indonesia or other countries in the Pacific Islands Forum in its push for West Papua.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is willing to take it to the next level, to demand global action through its membership of the United Nations in New York.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will push for a West Papuan group to be admitted to the Pacific Islands Forum at the annual summit of the region's leaders in Port Moresby.
The government's special envoy on West Papua Matthew Wale says the Solomon Islands is supporting the United Liberation Movement of West Papua's application for observer status at the Forum.
West Papua Action Auckland (WPAA) is shocked at Murray McCully's refusal to back a fact-finding mission for West Papua at the Pacific Island Forum.
RNZI reported that New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully said (in relation to a call by civil society organisations for a fact finding mission to West Papua) that:
A New Zealand opposition MP Catherine Delahunty says the New Zealand government is showing a lack of leadership and credibility over West Papua.
The Foreign Minister Murray McCully says he does not support a fact-finding mission to the Indonesian region by the Pacific Islands Forum.
Julianna Waeda – The PNG Union for Free West Papua and supporters of the Free West Papua movement are convoying around the streets of Port Moresby.
The vehicle convoy which started at Jack Pidik Park and proceeded along Waigani Drive through to the Sir John Guise stadium has stopped in front of the Kina Mart shopping mall area.
Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Papuan independence leader Filep Karma has flummoxed Indonesian authorities by refusing to be released from prison until he is cleared of treason.
Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Papua Students, Youth and People Movement (GempaR) and other KNPB supporters held a peaceful rally in front of the gate of the Cenderawasih University in Jayapura City, Papua on Monday (7/9/2015) to express support for the Pacific Islands Forum conference being held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Pacific leaders gather this week in Papua New Guinea for their annual summit West Papuan leader and freedom campaigner Octo Mote says the support for West Papua has never been stronger.
This is despite his being thrown out of the Pacific Island Development Forum in Fiji just last week.
Joey Tau – Solidarity groups throughout the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand are calling on Pacific leaders to act on the West Papua issue at this Forum Leaders meeting.
To not act on the issue of West Papua would be considered a moral failure of our collective leadership in the Pacific.
West Papua's non-attendance at this week's Pacific leaders' summit in Port Moresby is because of different agreements between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, says Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato.
Pacific civil society groups are adding their weight to a call for a Pacific Islands Forum mission to the Indonesian region of West Papua.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua recently asked that a fact-finding mission be sent to to investigate allegations of human rights abuses.
The West Papua independence activist, Benny Wenda, has been denied entry into Papua New Guinea.
Mr Wenda was invited to Port Moresby by the city's governor, Powes Parkop, to attend a conference and other events, including next week's Pacific Islands Forum Summit.
Archipelago – Dozens of Papuan students demonstrated on Friday in Malang, East Java, calling on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to bring an end to violence in the eastern-most Indonesian province of Papua by, among other things, withdrawing the military from the province.
Eko Widianto, Malang – Dozens of students from Papua united under the Papuan Students Alliance launched a protest at the Malang City Hall on Friday, September 4, 2015, demanding President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to investigate civilian shootings by military personnel.
Siteri Sauvakacolo and Solomone Rabulu – West Papua will apply to be a member of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, even though freedom fighter Octovanius Mote was denied entry into the PIDF meeting currently being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.
Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – Indonesian Bishop John Philip Saklil of Timika in Indonesia's Papua province accused the military and police of carrying out violent attacks on civilians in the conflict-prone region, calling security personnel "protectors of immoral criminals".
Jayapura, Jubi – Chairman of the Board of Regional Leadership Student Association Central Mountains of Papua Indonesia (DPW-AMPTPI) East Indonesia, Nathan Naftali Tebai revealed that the military's heavy presence is hampering development programs in Papua.
Tebai urged the Government of Papua Province to evaluate the performance of the military.
Jayapura, Jubi – Political prisoner Filep Karma has refused sentence cuts granted to prisoners by the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights to mark independence day.
The head of Abepura Prison, Bagus Kurniawan told Jubi on Saturday (29/8/2015) that Filep Karma is still in jail.
Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Conducting its own investigation into a recent shooting in Koperapoka, Mimika regency, Papua, that claimed the lives of two civilians, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has promised to serve justice to any soldiers proven to have been involved in the incident.
Jakarta – A National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) team is scheduled to visit Timika, Papua, in the beginning of September to investigate into a shooting incident allegedly perpetrated by military personnel on Friday that killed two Kamoro ethnic group members.
Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Two members of the Military District Command (Kodim) 1710/Timika have been arrested following a shooting in Koperapoka, Mimika regency, Papua, that left two civilians dead and two others wounded.
The two soldiers, First Sgt. Arshar and Chief Sgt. Makher, were detained by the military police sub-detachment XVII-I/Cenderawasih.
Mimika, Papua – Two people were killed and two others seriously injured when two soldiers opened fire in Timika Baru district, Mimika regency, in Papua early on Friday kompas.com reported.
The incident started when two military personnel rode a motorcycle along Jl. Bhayangkara in Timika at 2:35 a.m. on Friday while a crowd of about 100 people were having a party on the road.
Robert Vanwi Subiyat, Jayapura – The Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Friday that a shooting that left dead two civilians and injured four in Papua early on Friday indeed involved one of its soldiers, but added that only "two to three" shots were fired, in self-defense.
Michael Taylor and Wilda Asmarini, Jakarta – Freeport-McMoran said exports of copper from its giant Indonesian mine have slowed to a trickle over the past month as it faces new rules on how buyers pay for metal, with the government showing no sign of handing it a second waiver.
Santon Tekege – Nabire based human rights activist Gunawan Inggeruhi has stated that an oil palm company managed by PT New Nabire and PT SAD, has caused uneasiness amongst citizens of Wami and Sima, Yaur district, in Nabire region.
It remains unclear whether the West Papuan activist Filep Karma will soon walk free from Abepura Prison in Indonesia's eastern region.
Karma has served two thirds of a 15-year jail term for treason after he raised the banned Papuan Morning Star flag in 2004. Last week, he rejected an offer of remission on Indonesia's Independence Day, saying he would only accept unconditional release.
Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – Newly inaugurated Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that one of his first priorities will be to solve long-standing problems in the country's easternmost province of Papua.
Carmel Sepuloni was one of around ten MPs who met with the visiting secretary-general of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Octo Mote last night in Wellington.
Mr Mote discussed what he describes as growing regional support for international recognition of West Papuans' concerns with Indonesian rule.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua is calling on the Pacific Islands Forum leaders to send a human rights fact finding mission to the Indonesian region.
The movement is seen as the body representing the Melanesian people and recently became an observer member at the group which unites the Melanesian countries, the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
While New Zealand protesters were giving an emphatic thumbs down to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership corporate slap in the face of democracy at the weekend, a quietly spoken West Papuan in a yellow raincoat was offering solidarity at the Auckland march.
Auckland – West Papuan pro-independence leader Octo Mote, currently visiting New Zealand on a lobbying mission, marched in solidarity along with thousands of protesters in Auckland yesterday voicing their opposition to the controversial proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership pact.
Ben Hillier – "West Papuans know this day, 15 August, as 'Betrayal Day'." Jacob Rumbiak, a veteran leader of the West Papuan nationalist movement, is speaking at a Melbourne commemoration of the signing of the New York Agreement. Similar protests, events and meetings have been held around the world in solidarity with the West Papuan struggle for merdeka – freedom.