Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police are beefing up security in the area bordering Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in Skouw-Wutung following a shootout between TNI-police and dozens of armed civilians on Saturday.

Jayapura, Papua – Presidential candidate of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Joko Widodo said he would deal with all problems in Papua with "heart."

"I dont like to promise too much. I am confident the Papua problem could be sorted out with heart and hard work not with promises," Jokowi, as he is known, said.

Sita W Dewi and Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is spending the last weekend of the open campaign period visiting the easternmost island of Papua, showing his commitment to native Papuans.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – An Indonesian soldier suffered minor injuries during a firefight between police and members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) on the border of the restive Indonesian province and Papua New Guinea on Saturday, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said.

Jakarta – At least 100 protesters demanded the immediate release of 76 political prisoners in Papua outside the Indonesian Embassy in London, UK, on Wednesday, in a peaceful rally organized by TAPOL, Survival International and Amnesty International UK.

Jayapura – Two students who were arrested by the Police on Wednesday (2/4) for leading a demonstration demanding the release of Papuan political prisoners said they were mistreated in detention.

Admin MS, Jayapura – Today on Wednesday April 2, Papua Student Solidarity with Political Prisoners (SMPTN-Papua), which is made up of students from various universities in the West Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura, held a peaceful demonstration calling for the release of Papuan political prisoners in jails throughout Indonesia.

Auckland (Pacific Media Watch/Radio Australia/Radio NZ International/Free West Papua Campaign) – Protesters have taken to the streets and the gates of Indonesian embassies in West Papua, Australia and New Zealand as part of Global Day of action to free West Papuan prisoners.

Yermias Degei, Jayapura – Jayapura municipal police arrested two West Papuan students, Alfares Kapisa (25) and Yali Wenda (20) at a peaceful demonstration by the Papua Student Solidarity with Political Prisoners (SMPTN-Papua) in front of PT Gapura Angkasa at the Cenderawasih University (Uncen) in Waena, Jayapura, on Wednesday April 2.

London – Dozens of protestors today demanded the immediate release of political prisoners in West Papua at a peaceful rally outside Indonesia's London Embassy organised by TAPOL, Survival International and Amnesty International UK. Similar rallies were held in Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and West Papua.

Dear friends,

On the 2nd April West Papuan solidarity groups are holding a day of action calling on the Indonesian Government to free all West Papuan political prisoners unconditionally. Rallies are being held in various cities around the world. AWPA has written to the Indonesian President calling for the release of the more than 70 Papuan political prisoners incarcerated in West Papua.

Jayapura – Members of European Union parliament urged Indonesia to allow independent observers including those from the EU and the United Nations to monitor elections in Papua.

Gohong, The clearing of forests inhabited by indigenous people in Indonesia's Papua* Region by agribusinesses is fuelling conflict in the southern Merauke Regency, say campaigners.

Rangga Prakoso & Fidel Ali, Jakarta – The government will allow Newmont Nusa Tenggara and Freeport Indonesia to resume exports of concentrates soon after the two companies showed their commitment to build copper smelters in Indonesia.

Bobby Anderson – In Papua, where state sovereignty and legitimacy is deeply contested, representation matters. So in this national election, who purports to represent Papua?

AI Index: ASA 21008/2014

Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of seven Papuan activists in Sorong district, West Papua province in Indonesia, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is calling on all West Papuan people from Sorong to Samarai to boycott both the legislative and presidential elections that will be held on April 9 and July 9.

KNPB spokesperson Bazoka Logo said that Indonesian democracy only hypnotises the West Papuan people through each regional and national election.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister says any self-determination efforts in Indonesia's Papua region must be made in conjunction with Jakarta.

Gordon Darcy Lilo and other leaders in the Melanesian Spearhead Group are considering a bid for membership by the indigenous Melanesians of Papua region.

Kennial Caroline Laia – A 2-year-old girl chews on an areca nut, while a drunken man slumbers by the roadside that morning. A group of children walks to school barefooted in a village where proper housing is scarce, as are health care facilities and school buildings, and where infants are undernourished. This is the Waris district of Papua's Keerom region.

Jakarta – A joint police and Indonesian Military (TNI) patrol has killed a suspected separatist and arrested four others in Papua.

"The military and police encountered the illegally armed men in Kota Mulia, a regency of Puncak Jaya, on Saturday," Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said in Jayapura on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The Free West Papua campaign is calling on ethnic Papuan people to boycott upcoming elections in the disputed Indonesian province.

A campaigner, Benny Wenda, says voting in the provincial elections, held by Jakarta, would only allow Indonesia's control of the province to continue.

Port Vila (Radio New Zealand International/Vanuatu Post) – Two leaders of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation have been warned that they face assassination by the Indonesian military, say media reports.

Jayapura – The Papua Police are on the hunt for the instigators of the communal clash in Timika that broke out on March 4, resulting in the deaths of seven people while 300 others have been left injured.

The following statement has been released by independence leader Benny Wenda in response to the upcoming Indonesian elections

The Office of Benny Wenda
United Kingdom

16 March 2014

We will not vote!

In 2014 the Republic of Indonesia will try to hold elections in West Papua. We the Papuan peoples refuse to vote in these elections. Why?

Winston Tarere – Former Papuan activists Franz Albert Joku and Nicholas Simion Messet are calling on all West Papuans in exile to return home.

This was followed by a special request to the new Vanuatu Ambassador to Fiji Nikenike Vurobaravu, to tell members of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) based in Vanuatu to return to West Papua.

There are at least 76 political prisoners in West Papuan jails, a new report from Papuans Behind Bars has revealed.

At least 22 of the prisoners were arrested last month during military incursions into Sasawa village in Yapen island, and in the days following the raids.

Jayapura – Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosis said his remarks highlighting human rights abuses in West Papua at the UN Human Rights Council's 25th session have won praise from other leaders and human rights groups.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Tension between the Moni and Dani tribes in Papua continued to flare after police reported that six houses were burned to the ground on Wednesday, a day after Indonesia's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) shot dead two men in Kuala Kencana district.

Jayapura – Human rights issues raised by Papuan diplomats overseas only revolve around their campaign for independence, Jayapura Bishop Leo Labaladjar said. He was commenting on Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Kalosil's speech at the session of the UN Human Rights Council on March 4.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Two Papuans from the Moni tribe were shot dead by the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) on Tuesday during a clash with police in Jayanti, Timika.

Police claimed the two victims were part of a group that attacked police with arrows. Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comm. Sulistyo Pujo confirmed that police had fired on the group.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three more people were killed in communal tribal clashes in Timika, the capital of Mimika regency in Papua, on Tuesday, raising the death toll to seven in the clashes which have taken place since March 4, 2014.

West Papua Media team and stringers in Jayapura – Several hundred students and civil society members led by the Papuan Student Movement (GEMPAR or "Uproar") holding a peaceful demonstration in Jayapura today were again blockaded by around 200 armed riot Police who imposed a ban on the gathering, after a similar gathering on March 4 drew world attention.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Vanuatu's prime minister has addressed the United Nations, urging a resolution to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Papua.

As global media focus on Crimea's forthcoming referendum on whether to join Russia, we remember another 'Act of Free Choice' in West Papua in 1969 – which set off 45 years of military occupation, theft, repression and murder.

After criticism over New Zealand's police training programme in Indonesia's remote Papua province, the foreign minister says he will take reports of police violence seriously.

Murray McCully says there's no point criticising Indonesia from afar, and that is why the three-year, 5 million US-dollar programme is still in place, despite calls for it to be stopped.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Many residents in Papua are still living in poverty although the government has disbursed Rp 57 trillion (US$4.9 billion) in special autonomy, or Otsus, funds to the province since 2002.

PMC news desk – Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil has condemned the international community's "neglect" of the voices of the Papuan people in protest over the repression by Indonesia for four decades.

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said his country was seeking to "amplify the concerns for human rights" in the West Papua region.

Jayapura – Using the right of reply, Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations Indonesia's rejected the statement of Prime Minister of Vanuatu.

Please watch the reply by Indonesia's Amabassador here: http://webtv.un.org/watch/rights-of-reply-6th-meeting-25th-regular-session-human-rights-council/3292582057001/.

Suva, Fiji – An Indonesian delegation arrived into the country last night to strengthen the growing relations between Indonesia and Fiji.

The eight-member delegation is also here to hold public lectures at the three higher education institutions in Fiji – the University of the South Pacific, Fiji National University and the University of Fiji.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua General Elections Commission (KPUD) has disqualified five candidates vying for a seat on the Papua Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

[From the West Papua Media correspondents in Jayapura and Geneva, with local sources. The original title of the article was: Historic united front in Papua defies police dispersals, supporting Vanuatu PM call on UNHRC in Geneva to address West Papua issue.]

A New Zealand group supporting West Papuans has called on their government to end its police training project in Indonesia.

Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand's National Coordinator, Kevin McBride, says the $5 million US-dollar programme should be canned. He says it's not clear which Indonesian police are being trained, and it's hard to tell on the ground who the police are.

Michael Bachelard, Indonesia – When the parents of Demianus and Seth Gobay died in their small West Papua village of Nabire perhaps five years ago, not all their six children could afford to stay at school.

Jayapura – Vanuatu's Prime Minister (PM), Mr Moana Kalosil Carcasses will raise demand of completion of the Papua issue to the international world.

For that, Prime Minister of Papua Moana plans to bring the issue to the Commission on Human Rights (HAM) at the meeting of United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on March 4, 2014.

Jakarta – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold said its Indonesian unit may need to declare force majeure on copper concentrate sales if a dispute with the government over export taxes drags on for a prolonged period.

Tomy Winata – In response to an article published on the Jakarta Globe's website on Feb. 21, with the headline "More Outcry Over Papua Cop's Light Punishment," I'd like to note the following.

Jayapura – Three police officers have been arrested for stealing cable belonging to gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) in Timika, Papua.

Jayapura – Even though mostly regions in Papua have lack of teachers, the Head of Education and Teaching Department of Paniai regency, Drs. Amatus A Tatogo confirmed, schools in Paniai region do not need more additional teachers from other professions, despite having skills.

Jeis Montesori, Jakarta – Judicial Commission chairman Suparman Marzuki has promised to investigate a suspiciously lenient sentence handed by a Sorong court to a police officer charged with money laundering and smuggling offenses.