Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende said he would provide three days for whomever was behind the recent shooting death of two police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel in IIaga, Papua. If they failed to show up, he added, a team would be sent to hunt find them.

Rofiqi Hasan, Denpasar – The International Partnership Mission to Indonesia, an international and regional organization working in the freedom of expression, urged the government of Indonesia to open more access for foreign journalists to cover news in Papua.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The situation in Ilaga, the capital of Puncak regency in Papua, remained tense following the deaths of two Papua Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members who were shot as they assisted a church congregation with Christmas preparations at a church on Wednesday.

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is urging President Joko Widodo to build a palace in Papua, so that he can be closer to the people and soothe separatist sentiments in the remote region.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo plans to attend a Christmas celebration in Papua on Dec. 27.

The celebration, which will be held in Lanud square in Jayapura, will also be attended by Papuan officials, religious group representatives and thousands of residents.

Auckland (Pacific Media Watch) – The editor of the independent West Papua Media news service monitoring the two Indonesian-ruled provinces has called for more vigilance and better training for "safe witness" journalism.

Vanuatu's former prime minister, Barak Sope, says the people of his country are convinced that West Papua will one day gain its independence from Indonesia.

In 2000, Mr Sope asked the United Nations for West Papua to be officially added to its decolonisation list.

Amy McQuire – Planned celebrations to mark the brief independence of West Papua will go ahead in Melbourne today, despite pressure from Indonesia. Amy McQuire reports.

Jakarta – Papua's Puncak Jaya regency was again the scene of a shooting on Wednesday, with two police officers shot dead by an unidentified armed group.

The two were attacked as they were moving chairs and tarpaulin at a GKII church event, Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono said in Jayapura on Wednesday.

West Papuan delegates are converging on Vanuatu's capital to try and form a unified bid to get West Papua membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The three-day conference follows a march through Port Vila, and other centres around the world, on Monday to mark what separatists call West Papua Independence day.

Jamie Tahana reports.

Mere Naleba – The Pacific Network on Globalisation yesterday organised a vigil remembering the people of West Papua while creating awareness of the organisation's "We Bleed Black and Red" campaign.

The campaign, launched in July, remembers people suffering from suppression and other injustices in West Papua.

Vanuatu's former Prime Minister, Edward Natapei, says he hopes a united political force for West Papua will be formed as a result of a conference being held in Port Vila this week.

The three-day conference is an attempt to try and form a unified bid to get West Papua membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Made Supriatma – In his meeting with TNI elites, President Joko Widodo reportedly agreed to a proposal to expand the army's territorial command in West Papua.

Jayapura – Police in Papua have been prepared to disperse any separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) anniversary commemoration event to be held on December 1.

Papua regional police deputy commander Brigadier General Paulus Waterpauw said to ANTARA News here on Sunday police personnel stood by in anticipation against any OPM anniversary activity.

Michael Bachelard, Jayapura, West Papua – Ten years after he was jailed for raising the outlawed "Morning Star" flag, West Papuan independence leader Filep Karma has called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to voluntarily grant independence to West Papua so that Indonesia is not embarrassed in international forums.

The Australia West Papua association has written to the Australian Foreign Minister about concerns of a possible crackdown on peaceful demonstrators celebrating West Papuan National Flag Day on the 1st December. (Letter below).

Timika – Activities at the PT Freeport Indonesia (PT FI) Amamapare Port Site in Timika, Papua, returned to normal on Thursday after access to the location – which had been blockaded by residents and employees from seven tribes possessing customary rights to the PT FI mining concession – was reopened.

Waitangi Day controversies are minor compared to this battle for identity and self-determination.

Waitangi Day, New Zealand's national day, comes with controversy, robust historical debate and challenges to do more to address the grievances of the past.

The chair of Vanuatu's West Papua Unification Committee is confident next week's summit will produce a united West Papuan bid to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

About 200 West Papuans are expected at the conference, which is to begin from the 1st of December, following a march of solidarity for the West Papuan people in Port Vila.

Vanuatu's West Papua Unification Committee says it is aiming to ensure all opinions will be well represented at its summit next week.

The meeting hopes to form a united bid for Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge – During his presidential campaign, Joko Widodo, widely known as "Jokowi," visited the Indonesia's most eastern province, Papua, three times.

By Camellia Webb-Gannon and Jim Elmslie

Introduction

Jayapura – On Wednesday November 19 West Papua National Committee (KNPB) member Ansalmus Pigay suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg after security forces broke up a KNPB demonstration calling for the separation of Papua from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) in Moenamani, the capital of Dogiyai sub-district in the Papuan central highlands.

Today is the 6th anniversary of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) which was formed on the 19 November in 2008. There has been a call for rallies to take place throughout West Papua to commemorate the anniversary

Jayapura – Hundreds of Papuan students held a protest to reject the transmigration program in Papua. They voiced their opposition to the program to the Papua Leigslative Council on Monday (17/11).

The students led by Pontius Mogodaman handed out leaftets that read: "Transmigration is a Human Right Violation" and "Papuans Reject Transmigration".

Jayapura – A new local political party, Papua Bersatu (Papua United), will be declared next week, its chairman said.

The declaration was to be on Monday (18/11) in Jayapura, the General Chairman of Papua Unite Party, Cris Fonataba said. He said the establishment of a local party is in accordance with article 28 of Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law.

Sorong – Residents in Salfi Sub-district of Sorong Selatan Regency rejected the local government's plan to invite a palm oil plantation company to their area, said Customary Council community leaders.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Experts have said Papua still has huge potential to contribute to land-based carbon emission reduction efforts because it has a lower level of carbon emissions from the land sector compared to other regions in Indonesia.

Bobby Anderson – Marwan Jafar, President Joko Widodo's new minister for village development, disadvantaged regions and transmigration, announced on Oct. 31 that he would make Papua more attractive to Javanese migrants by working with the police and military to provide security there.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Maintaining Indonesia's transmigration program in Papua will threaten indigenous culture and further destabilize an already troubled area, critics of the controversial policy say.

The concerns come after Indonesia's newly appointed minister in charge of transmigration said the program will continue in Papua province under his watch.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua Police have announced the arrest of five civilians in Manokwari, West Papua for allegedly trading in firearms.

The Indonesian President Joko Widodo (better known as Jokowi) promised to make Papua one of his priorities if elected as president. However, it is unfortunate that ministers in his government are making statements that are raising alarm amongst the West Papuan people.

Paris (Reporters sans Frontieres/Pacific Media Watch) – French journalists Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat have returned to France after being detained for 11 weeks in the Indonesian Melanesian province of Papua, where a court in Papua's capital, Jayapura, convicted them last week of misusing tourist visas to work as journalists.

Jakarta – Workers at Freeport-McMoRan Inc's Indonesian copper mine have cancelled a planned one-month strike due to start next week, a union official said on Friday, after reaching an agreement with the company's management following two days of talks.

Nic Maclellan – Writing in Crikey yesterday, Indonesia analyst Jim Della-Giacoma said the appointment of retired general Ryamizard Ryacudu as new Indonesian Defence Minister "could have been worse". But if you're West Papuan, it's hard to see how.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Authorities in Papua have arrested a police officer and are questioning three soldiers suspected of supplying ammunition to an armed separatist cell blamed for attacks that killed at least six police officers in the past three years.

Protestors staged a demonstration outside Indonesia's embassy in New Zealand today, calling for media freedom in West Papua.

This follow's last week's conviction of two French journalists for misusing their tourist visas to work in Indonesia's Papua province. The pair, who were arrested and detained in August, were sentenced in Jayapura to two and half months in prison.

Amy McQuire – In spite of the outcome, free press advocates are warning the charges laid against a pair of French journalists could make it even harder to report from the province. Amy McQuire reports.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Yohana Susana Yembise might have had a bitter pill to swallow when she was defeated as a candidate to become the 2014-2019 Biak Numfor regent in Papua, but she was headed for a better future after being appointed as the minister for women's empowerment and child protection in the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Jakarta – Workers at Freeport-McMoRan's giant Indonesian copper mine plan to go on strike for a month from next week, a union official said on Monday, after the company failed to make changes to local management following a fatal accident.

Jakarta – Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phelim Kine says the arrest and conviction of two French journalists, Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, reflects the Indonesian government's willingness to steamroll over journalists' rights in order to keep foreign media from reporting on Papua.

Reporters Without Borders welcomes the imminent release of Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, two French journalists who have been held for the past 11 weeks in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua on a charge of misusing their tourist visas to do investigative reporting.

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Two French journalists have been sentenced to two months and 15 days imprisonment in an Indonesian jail for reporting in the West Papua province while on a tourist visa.

The sentence means Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat will be out of prison and free to return to France next week.

Jayapura – Two French journalists were on Friday handed short jail terms for illegally reporting in Papua, sparking calls for the new Indonesian government to lift long-standing restrictions on foreigners covering the restive province.

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's media freedom sustained a worrying blow on Friday when a court in Jayapura, on the country's easternmost island of Papua, convicted French journalists Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat of "abusive use of entry visas."

Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta – Two French journalists arrested in Papua for operating without journalism visas should serve four months in jail and face a cursory $200 fine, prosecutors in the region said on Thursday.

"It's the maximum request and we hope it will be a lesson for foreigners to not violate their visas in Indonesia," lead prosecutor Sukanda said.

Media Release on behalf of West Papua Action Auckland, EPMU Print and Media Council and the NZ Media Freedom Network.

West Papua Action Auckland, the EPMU Print and Media Council and the NZ Media Freedom Network call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to speak out in support of the two French TV journalists whose trial has just begun in Jayapura West Papua.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should use his first official visit to Papua and West Papua on Thursday to endorse specific measures to address serious human rights problems on the country's easternmost island, according to a New York-based rights watchdog.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court resumed on Tuesday a trial of two French journalists, Thomas Charles Dandois and Marie Valentine Bourrat, hearing from three witnesses from the prosecution who were not able to confirm that the defendants undertook journalistic activities.

Efforts by Indonesia's new President to solve political, social and economic issues in Papua region may be restricted by a lack of support from national parliamentarians.

Joko Widodo, who was inaugurated on Monday, has indicated that addressing lingering grievances of West Papua will be one of his first priorities.