The group, Pacific Freedom Forum, says the killing, beating, abducting and jailing of journalists in Indonesia's West Papua region remains the most immediate issue in regional affairs.
The group says ongoing suppression of freedom of expression under Indonesian rule often involves violence against news media.
The West Papua Advocacy Team is deeply concerned about the Government of Indonesia's unilateral decision to restrict the planned visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue.
Farouk Arnaz & Banjir Ambarita – A gunman shot at a member of the Indonesian Armed Forces and a civilian at a market in Puncak Jaya, Papua, on Thursday, killing the civilian and seriously wounding the soldier, police said on Friday.
Timika – An unidentified gunman shot dead a civilian and seriously injured a soldier in Indonesia's restive Papua province on Thursday, a local military official said.
Unconfirmed reports from local activists and credible human rights observers in Paniai have claimed that 13 houses have been burnt down as sweep operations by Indonesian security forces have resumed, causing panic amongst local Papuan civilians.
Oktovianus Pogau, Merauke, Papua – Anis Jambormase, a family member of female pastor Frederika Metalmeti (38 years old), is questioning the legal process against the shooting of their child in Boven Digoel, Papua, on 21 November 2012.
Ivar Andersen and Klas Lundstrvm, Contributor, Kiunga, Papua New Guinea – For decades, the struggle for West Papuan independence has been fought from the vast rainforests along the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Benny Mawel – A spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has claimed that the detention of a number of KNPB activists and the addition of more KNPB members' names to the Wanted Persons List (DPO) has been done purely in the interests of the Papuan political elite.
Brooke Nolan – Arriving at Maranatha Convent in Waena, a town near Jayapura, Papua, a nun greets me and shows me a room where I am hoping to stay. Her first question to me still looms in my mind. "Are you from an NGO?" she asks.
ID/Retno Ayuningtyas – Mining company Freeport Indonesia has agreed to trim its concession area in Timika, Papua, indicating that the government's efforts to renegotiate mining contracts have started to bear fruit.
Oktovianus Pogau, Papua, Jayapura – In 2012 Indonesian security forces murdered twenty-two activists from the West Papuan National Committee (KNPB) and a further fifty-five are behind bars, some of whom are also on a search list from the regional Papuan police.
Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – An unidentified gunman shot and wounded a man not far from the Papua Police headquarters on the first day of the new year, residents here said.
Unconfirmed Reports have emerged from Biak that Indonesian armed police have disappeared local Papuan pro-democracy activist Anthon Kafiar.
Jayapura, Papua – Papua Police are investigating an attack on a journalist in Sorong, West Papua.
"My officers in Sorong, West Papua, have received the report about the incident and are now investigating it," the Papua regional police command spokesman, Adjunct Senior Commissioner I Gede Sumerta, said here on Friday.
Seven Papuan fisherman were shot by members of the TNI (Indonesian army) near Pulau Papan district, Misol Perairan Raja Apat, West Papua. It is not clear why they were shot, but one TNI soldier is now being questioned by POM, the military police in Puncak Rafidin.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has recorded twelve cases of violence and intimidation against journalists Papua during 2012, which is a significant increase as compared with 2011, when there were seven cases.
Indonesia Human Rights Committee,
Box 68-419,
Auckland
Hon Murray Mc Cully,
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Parliament Buidlings,
Wellington.
Duty Minister,
Parliament Buildings,
Wellington.
Fax: 04 499 0704
23 December, 2012.
Dear Mr McCully and Duty Minister,
Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Concerns over an escalation of human rights abuses are growing as the National Police decided to use the antiterrorism law to deal with armed groups in the resource-rich province of Papua.
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-203-2012
Dear friends,
Hundreds of Papuan students belonging to the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) staged a silent protest on Wednesday (19/12) commemorating the 51st anniversary of Trikora, the campaign that enabled the military invasion of West Papua by Indonesian forces.
Jayapura – The human rights organisation ELSHAM believes that the level of violence and conflict in West Papua has increased significantly since August last year. It reports a number of incidents when many lives were lost but the government. did not do anything in response.
Dian Maharani, Jakarta – National police criminal investigation bureau chief Commissioner General Sutarman says that perpetrators of violence in West Papua could be charged under Law Number 15/2003 on Terrorism.
According to Sutarman, the national police will also not hesitate to use the articles under the law against armed perpetrators that cause loss of human life.
There was a significant increase in the intensity of the conflicts and violence in Papua between August 2011 and December 2012. ELSHAM Papua reported on several incidents that had resulted in serious casualties and although the growing severity of the incidents was disturbing, these did not prompt the Government to react.
The New Zealand Green Party MP says the government's stand on issues in Indonesia's Papua is ironic given its principled line when dealing with Fiji.
Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – The total number of reported cases of people living with HIV/AIDS in Papua has topped 13,000, with 150 of the new cases involving infants below the age of five years who contracted the virus from their parents.
The Australian Greens today called for Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, to explain what Australia is doing to help put an end to violence and human rights abuses in West Papua.
"The Australian Greens were saddened to learn that two more West Papuan activists were killed on Sunday by Indonesian police," said Greens spokesperson on West Papua, Senator Richard Di Natale.
Adi Suhendi, Jakarta – Scores of Papuan youths living in Jakarta held a demonstration in front of the Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) building at the national police headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday December 18.
Jayapura – The fatal shooting of an activist of the KNPB, Hubertus Mabel, has been condemned by his family and by the KNPB – National Committee of West Papua – as unlawful. According to the law, if a person is deemed to be engaged in unlawful acts, he should be arrested and charged before a court of law but this did not happen in the case of Mabel and his colleague.
AWPA has written to Sen Bob Carr concerning the killing and arrest of members of the KNPB. Letter below.
Joe Collins
04077 857 97
Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction
Sydney, Australia 2088
Senator the Hon Bob Carr
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House, Canberra
ACT 2600
18 December 2012
Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government has issued a regulation that will allow only native Papuan businesspeople to make bids on government construction, part of a strategy to accelerate development in the country's easternmost province and improve prosperity in the region.
Jakarta – Police have arrested five suspects following a riot when mobs attacked and set on fire a police station in Wamena, Papua, yesterday. "They were being investigated," police's chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said here on Monday.
Michael Bachelard – Indonesian police have shot dead two West Papuan activists and burned down a house in the provincial city of Wamena which was used as the "Tribal Council" office for community meetings.
A West Papua National Committee (KNPB) activist has been killed, and a farmer has died from his wounds in hospital, after being shot by members of the Australian-trained anti-terror unit Detachment 88 outside Wamena on December 16, following raids that arrested at least six activists on Sunday morning, according to multiple sources.
Banjir Ambarita & SP/Robert Isidorus – A police outpost in Papua was set on fire on Sunday night, following the death of a Papuan activist who allegedly tried to attack police earlier that day.
Kayt Davies, Edith Cowan University – Last Friday a picture story appeared on page three of The Age that was ostensibly about events in West Papua. The story was pitched as a quirky yarn, replete with a wacky Disney character, a kilt (always a bit funny) and some large weapons.
[The following is a speech by ETAN's Chris Lundry at a Freeport protest in Phoenix, AZ, on December 14, 2012.]
Jayapura, Papua – The Police chief of Jayapura in Papua province, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Alfred Papare, has stated that Muslim youths will assist police personnel in ensuring security at the city's churches during the Lilin Operation in the region.
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-201-2012
Dear friends,
George Roberts, Indonesia – Indonesia's Foreign Minister has vowed to review any cases of journalists being refused entry to the country's disputed Papua regions.
Marty Natalegawa has told a foreign journalists' group that 35 reporters have been granted access to Papuan provinces in the past year.
Robert Isidorus, Jayapura – A legal aid activist in Papua has said the recent unrest in Manokwari, West Papua, is a clear indication of efforts to destabilize the region to prompt a need for a stronger security presence. He urged tribal leaders in Papua and West Papua not to allow themselves to be provoked.
Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Hundreds of angry protestors set fire to two police posts at Sanggeng market and Amban in Manokwari, West Papua, on Wednesday after police shot dead escaped convict Timotius AP as he attempted to avoid being returned to Manokwari penitentiary.
SP/Robert Isidorus – The fatal shooting of an escaped convict by police in West Papua's provincial capital led a mob to damage several shops and burn a police outpost there on Wednesday, residents said.
Jayapura – The "chief of the general staff" of TPN/OPM, "Major-General" Terianus Santo said that his organisation had celebrated 1 December with prayers and ceremonies to unfurl the Morning Star flag at their headquarters deep in the forest.
Robert Isidorus & Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Armed separatists exchanged gunfire with Indonesian security forces in Papua on Monday as police combed the Lanny Jaya district for those allegedly behind last week's deadly police station attack, a Free Papua Organization (OPM) head said.
Pirime, Papua – Members of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) were involved in a one-hour shootout with security personnel in Pirime district, Lanny Jaya regency, Papua, at 6 a.m. on Monday.
Three leaders of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) who were detained at a West Papuan independence rally on December 1 have been allegedly disappeared by Indonesian security forces, prompting fears of ill treatment at the hands of police.
Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – There were no sightings of the Morning Star separatist flag on Saturday in Papua on the 51st anniversary of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has been marked every Dec. 1 since 1991.
Sydney – The Sydney-based Australia West Papua Association has issued a statement that thanks the Leichhardt and Marrickville councils for their support in raising the West Papuan Morning Star at their town halls again this year for West Papuan national Flag Day.
Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of Papuan students from Java and Bali that are part of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) held an action at the zero kilometre point in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta to commemorate the 51st anniversary of West Papuan independence on Saturday December 1.
Jayapura – The separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) called for non-violent actions to free the easternmost provinces from Indonesia as the group on Saturday marked what it considers the 51st anniversary of the independent nation of West Papua.