Michael Bachelard – Thanks to a brutal history, an Indonesian Government that restricts journalistic access, and a group of committed activists in Australia and New Zealand, most people only ever hear one story about Indonesia's Papua and West Papua provinces.

Roberth Isidorus, Jayapura – An evangelical church in Yambi, in Papua's Puncak Jaya district, was burned down by group of unknown attackers on Monday.

The local military commander, Lt. Col. Bayu Sudarmanto, confirmed the incident.

Residents heard gunshots and then saw smoke coming from the GIDI church building, after which they tried to extinguish the flames, Bayu said.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Around 100 volunteers and social workers have been deployed to distribute free condoms in 180 known areas for sex transactions such as hotels, dormitories, rental rooms and on the streets in their efforts to slow down the rapid spreading of HIV/AIDS in the provincial capital and surrounding areas.

There are further signs from Indonesia's government that it is willing to open up access to the Papua region.

The Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, who is Indonesia's first Papuan minister, says by reporting on Papua, journalists can help address the region's main problems, such as violence.

The 3rd Congress of the Asia Pacific Greens Federation has adopted a resolution on the West Papuan self-determination struggle.

The congress was held at the weekend in Silverstream, near New Zealand's capital, and featured delegates from a range of countries including Iraq, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Indonesia says it's quietly hopeful the change of government in Vanuatu will signal the defeat of West Papua's bid to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Sato Kilman is known to have a softer stance regarding Vanuatu's long-held support for West Papua, and as foreign minister recently indicated his country could open an embassy in Jakarta.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The military in Papua arrested a drunk soldier for injuring a civilian in Central Memberamo Thursday. The victim is still undergoing medical treatment at the Marthen Indey Hospital on Friday.

Indonesia is quietly hopeful a change of government in Vanuatu will contribute to the defeat of province West Papua's bid to join a special club of Melanesian states.

However, the southeast Asian giant is not getting too far ahead of itself.

Erwida Maulia & Rangga Prakoso, Jakarta – As the government continues its negotiations with Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, and there are reports that the company will likely have its operating permit in Papua extended for another 20 years, observers are urging caution.

Index: ASA 21/1851/2015

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – Copper-mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia has, in principle, agreed to change the company's contract of work (CoW) into a special mining license (IUPK) as required by the government, a deal that will enable it to renew its concession rights earlier than expected, a senior official at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has said.

In defiance of a 1963 law forbidding foreign journalists entry to West Papua, Dutch journalist Rohan Radheya has over the past years travelled into the region several times, and is one of very few foreign journalists able to do so.

Vanuatu's new foreign minister says the government will continue to fight for the rights of West Papuans in international fora.

Kalfau Moli was appointed last week after the prime minister Joe Natuman sacked Sato Kilman from the foreign minister's role. Mr Kilman had been accused of misrepresenting Vanuatu's long-running support for West Papuan rights in his dealings with Indonesia.

From 30 April to 01 June, police have arrested protesters expressing support for ULMWP and West Papua campaign of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), KNPB said in a statement to Jubi, Monday (8/6/2015).

Jayapura, Jubi – The arrest of about 200 West Papua National Committee activists in May is disconcerting and shows that authorities are increasingly resorting to heavy-handed tactics to discourage dissent, a human rights observer said.

Jayapura, Jubi – Leaflets calling on Papuans to support Indonesia were circulated in Merauke and Jayapura on 4 June 2015.

Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – The governor of Indonesia's Papua province has slammed a central government minister's comments suggesting that Indonesia's controversial transmigration program should be expanded in the tense region.

The Pacific islands sub-regional organisation is considering a membership bid by West Papuans of Indonesia.

MSG member governments are struggling to balance their growing ties to Jakarta with regional grassroots support for the indigenous people of West Papua where a separatist conflict has simmered for decades.

Ben Hillier – More than 500 activists have been arrested over the past month across West Papua as protests, demonstrations and meetings build in the lead up to the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Summit in Honiara, the Solomon Islands.

Jakarta – An Indonesian minister has countered President Joko Widodo's declaration that the controversial transmigration program to Papua province will be stopped, saying instead that, if anything, it will be expanded.

A number of rallies have been held in recent days in Indonesia's Papua region in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's application to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has signalled an end to the country's transmigration programme to Papua region.

Transmigration programmes have been operating in Indonesia for decades, involving the relocation of landless people from densely populated areas to less populous parts of the country.

Vanuatu's new foreign minister, Kalvau Moli, says one of his main focuses in government will be the issue of West Papua.

He replaced Sato Kilman, who was sacked yesterday amid opposition plans to lodge a motion of no confidence against the prime minister Joe Natuman.

Civil Society Groups in Fiji say Frank Bainimarama's support for Indonesia's bid to become an associate member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group is a concern.

A Solomon Islands MP is calling on the Melanesian Spearhead Group to ignore Indonesia and accept the application to join the group by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

The MP for West Makira says he is disappointed in his own country's lack of conviction on the issue despite what he describes as overwhelming support from the Solomon Islands public for West Papua.

The Solomon Islands says it hasn't made a decision yet on the West Papua bid for membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

While the Fiji Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, recently said that any dealings with West Papua needed to go through Indonesia, whose sovereignty over the provinces should be respected, other leaders have been less forthright.

Repeka Nasiko – Police Commissioner Ben Groenewald says funding has been received from the Indonesian Government for the development of the Melanesian Spearhead Group regional police academy.

While visiting the Western Division earlier this week, Mr Groenewald said regional discussions on the progress of the academy were held recently.

A month ago today, on 29 April 2015, TAPOL organised a demonstration outside the Indonesian Embassy in London, where dozens of demonstrations gathered to demand open access to Papua for international journalists, humanitarian agencies and human rights organisations.

Today, the 28 May the KNPB had called for peaceful rallies in all regions of West Papua.

The organisers are calling for the freedom of expression for the West Papuan people and also calling for international and regional support for the application by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura Police took into custody 47 would-be protesters who were preparing for a rally in support of Papua's efforts to secure membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Jayapura on Thursday.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Police arrested at least 71 members of the pro-independence West Papua National Committee (KNPB) during two peaceful rallies on Thursday in Wamena of Jayawijaya district and Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua.

Jakarta – Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phelim Kine has said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should issue an explicit written directive spelling out Papua's new media freedoms and the obligations of government officials and security forces to respect it, otherwise he could not turn his vision into reality.

Elodie Largenton – A French journalist who was jailed in West Papua last year for not having the correct entry permit says he doubts Indonesia will follow through with its promise to lift the region's media ban.

Indonesia's president Joko Widodo announced the end of the decades-long restriction on foreign journalists reporting on West Papua during a visit earlier this month.

Jakarta – The police in Papua have yet to identify those responsible for the shooting of a pro-independence leader in Nabire on Tuesday, but they detected a threat on migrants following the incident.

Papua Independence Movement (OPM) leader Leo Yogy was fatally shot in a raid on the resistance group's hideout.

An armed group in Indonesia's Papua province has reportedly taken two soldiers along with a teacher hostage in Enarotali in Paniai District.

According to a report gathered by Antara, the two soldiers and some civilians were shopping on a speed boat.

Jayapura, Jubi – An alleged statement by the Commander of West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), Enden Wanimbo declaring an open war against Indonesian security forces provides ammunition for those who want violence to occur in Papua, a church leader said.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Chairman of West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Victor Yeimo, said threats of an open war allegedly made by OPM leaders Enden Wanimbo and Puron Wenda were exaggerated.

Charles Kadamana – Hundreds of Solomon Islanders demonstrated their support for West Papua with an appeal for the government to consider West Papua a full member of the Melanesia Spearhead Group, during a peaceful rally last Friday.

West Papua through the United Liberation Movement for West Papua will made an application for membership when the MSG leaders meet in Honiara next month.

Robertus Wardhy, Jayapura – Five local residents have been injured and one killed during a shooting by unknown gunmen at a house in Puncak Jaya district, Paupa, on Tuesday night.

Sr. Comr. Patrige Renwarin, a spokesman for the Papua Police, told the Jakarta Globe that the shooting took place at 11 p.m. at the family home of a Papuan civilian named Jufri Tandi Payung

Tama Salim & Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo may have confidently ordered his Cabinet ministers and the security apparatus to open up Papua to foreign journalists, but his ministers appear unenthusiastic about overturning decades-long policy on restricted media access.

Jayapura – Human rights activists have opposed the presence of a military command in West Papua, later named as the Kasuari/XVIII Military Command, as it is against the Papua Special Autonomy Law, especially on regional security.

Jakarta – The executive director of Indonesian news agency Antara, Saiful Hadi, said that Indonesia should penalize journalists, including those from abroad, who broadcast biased and imbalanced news about Papua.

"We should subject journalists to a strict penalty if they broadcast news on Papua that is based on fictive information and data," he stated here on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Journalism education is important for Papuans, now that foreign journalists and international organizations have been given open access to Papua and West Papua, the Indonesian Press Council said.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno asserted that foreign journalists who wish to cover Papua should abide by the laws of Indonesia.

Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says engagement with Indonesia is the best way to handle issues of abuse in the Indonesia region of Papua.

The Fiji Sun reports Mr Bainimarama as saying there is a lot of concern about what is happening in Papua with talks of assault and human rights abuses. But he says at the end of the day it was an issue of Indonesia's sovereignty.

Jakarta – Papuan students called on the government to withdraw all security personnel and stop the ongoing construction of military and police infrastructure in the country's easternmost province.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has supported Indonesia's bid to become an associate member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

PACNEWS reports Bainimarama confirmed that having Indonesia as an associate member made sense given the population in Papua is more than 11 million Melanesian people in Indonesia.

Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan independence activist Filep Karma who recently rejected a pardon offered by Indonesian President Joko Widodo firmly said the genture wasn't new for him.

"They (the Government of Indonesia) also knew that I have rejected a pardon once," Karma, the chairman of West Papua Political Prisoners' Forum, told Jubi on Saturday (23/5/2015).

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The situation in the Papuan town of Manokwari has remained peaceful following the recent arrests of 70 pro-independence activists grouped in the National West Papua Committee (KNPB).

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Armed separatists in Indonesia's Papua province have declared open war on the military and non-Papuan civilians, insisting that their decades-long struggle for independence is not over and denouncing as a lie President Joko Widodo's reassurances that the region is peaceful.