West Papua Media and local sources – Confirmed reports have emerged from Fak-Fak, on the west coast of West Papua, that at least ten demonstrators were arrested by Indonesian police on March 1.

John Pakage – On Tuesday morning, 21st February, Courtroom 1A in Jayapura was peaceful but tense. Many soldiers were to be seen guarding the streets for a session of the trial of Forkorus Yoboisembut, Edison Gladius Waromi, Agustinus M. Sananay Kraar, Selpius Bobii and Dominikus Sorabut.

Soraya Permatasari – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) said 32 shooting incidents in almost as many months have hampered operations at its Indonesian mine, which holds the worlds largest recoverable copper deposit.

Labor backbenchers have angrily defied a call by acting Foreign Minister Craig Emerson to boycott a meeting on the disputed province of West Papua so Indonesia is not offended.

A New Zealand MP is calling on the government to play a constructive role over dialogue with Indonesia about West Papua.

Catherine Delahunty attended this week's launch of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua group in Australia. She told parliament in Wellington that New Zealand has a proud tradition of standing up for its more vulnerable neighbours.

Hundreds of people have been calling for the unconditional release of Forkorus Yaboisembut and his four colleagues. A demonstration in Jayapura presented this demand to the Regional Director of the Department of Law and Human Rights on Wednesday.

The Australian government has denied any involvement in a regional forum supporting the independence of West Papua from Indonesia that was held in Canberra on Tuesday, saying it remains committed to the archipelago's territorial integrity.

Rangga D. Fadillah, Jakarta – PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is temporarily halting operations at the Grasberg gold and copper mine in Timika, Papua, following a campaign of violence and intimidation by employees against workers who did not join last year's strike.

Jayapura, Papua – Unable to compete in the acculturation process with other groups, the Sebo tribe in Kayu Pulau, Jayapura, Papua, has become extinct, and two other tribes – the Tampoto and Dasim – are on the verge of extinction.

The sixth hearing of the trial of Forkorus Yaboisembet and his four colleagues took place on 21 February at which seven witnesses for the prosecution were called to give evidence.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Dicky Christanto, Papua, Jakarta – Maj. Gen. Erwin Syafitri, the former deputy chief of the Army's Strategic Intelligence Agency, assumed command of the Cendrawasih Military Command in Papua on Tuesday.

Erwin, a native of Cimahi, West Java, was assigned to posts in Papua between 1982 and 1991. "I've spent half of my career here," he said on Tuesday.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Two district head candidates in Puncak Papua were named suspects on Monday by the Papua Police for allegedly inciting a political feud that has killed at least 30 people.

Jayapura – Thousands of Papuans who are members of the National Committee occupied the building of West Papua People's Assembly in Kotaraja Papua, Jayapura, Monday, February 20, 2012.

Jayapura – Authorities in Indonesia's remote Papua province say they have no plans to make male circumcision mandatory, despite media reports to the contrary.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar, South Sulawesi – Students from Papua and West Papua studying in Makassar, South Sulawesi, have protested the central government's decision to create the Special Unit of Development Acceleration in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), saying the institution would not solve problems, but would instead create new ones.

After President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono acknowledged that security forces have committed human rights violations in Papua, Amnesty International on Friday called on him to go further – not merely discussing the abuses, but taking action to end them.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – The death toll from violent clashes between supporters of rival political candidates in Papua's Tolikara district now stands at six while the number of injured is nearing triple figures.

The contest for district head, initially scheduled for Friday, was postponed indefinitely on Thursday amid continuing violence.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the largest publicly traded copper producer, will cooperate with the Indonesian government as it reviews the company's contract to operate the Grasberg mine.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Papua has become a general epidemic stage that requires immediate action to prevent the further spread of the disease into the wider community, according to the province's public health chief.

A leading researcher on West Papua says the trial of five Papuan leaders for treason has hallmarks of being another public relations disaster for Indonesia.

The five were arrested last October at the Third Papuan People's Congress where they raised the outlawed Papuan 'Morning Star' flag and declared independence.

Five Papuan political leaders are on trial for 'treason'. support them by emailing the message to the Indonesian government

Despite their activities being of a peaceful political nature, five Papuan leaders are standing trial in an Indonesian court. If convicted they are likely to face prison sentences of 20 years or more.

Dear friends,

TAPOL has become very concerned about two Papuan political prisoners who are seriously ill. While many of us are working long-term on the issue of political prisoners in Indonesia, in the short-term these people are in pain and need help now. We aim to raise #1,000 in the next week to help pay for their medical care, and are writing to ask for your help.

Timika, Papua – The military in Papua will give maximum assistance to the local police in maintaining security in the concession area of mining company PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika district, its commander, Maj Gen Erfi Triassunu, said.

Index: ASA 21/006/2012

Amnesty International welcomes the acknowledgement by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that security forces have committed human rights violations in the region of Papua. The President said further that he wants an end to repressive actions by the military and police in Papua.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The recurrent shooting incidents in Papua and the fact that none of the perpetrators has been caught have severely hampered development in the province, according to a local legislator who has called on the police and military to immediately solve the cases.

Jakarta – Problems related to Papua are Indonesia's internal affair. The United State has never considered the Papua problem in its cooperative defense relationships.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – A Czech man arrested in Manokwari on Wednesday worked as a journalist. He was arrested after taking pictures of a pro-independence demonstration in the West Papua capital.

Timika, Papua – Unidentified gunmen have attacked a group of workers near Freeport-McMoRan's gold and copper mine in eastern Indonesia, wounding several of them.

Company spokesman Ramdani Sirait said the shooting of the workers from a local contractor occurred on Thursday morning.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Police in Papua have been criticized for not doing enough to investigate a string of shootings that have killed at least three people in the past month.

Yan Christian Warinussy – The appointment and deployment of Major-General Mohammad Erwin Syafitri (former deputy chief of BAIS, Indonesia's joint strategic intelligence agency) as commander of KODAM XVII Cenderawasih Papua is clear proof that the Land of Papua is still an area of operations of Indonesian military intelligence.

The National Police on Wednesday accused the group associated with Temy Kwalik, a local Papuan who was linked with the Free Papua Organization (OPM) separatist movement, as being responsible for the deadly shooting of one of its Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers.

Tomorrow five West Papuan men will face charges of treason for peacefully declaring independence from Indonesia. Why isn't Australia sending legal observers to the trial, asks Tom Clarke.

A police officer from the Mobile Brigade, Brig. Ronald, was killed by unidentified gunmen while on a routine patrol in the area of PT Freeport Indonesia on Tuesday.

Banjir Ambarita – A Mobile Brigade police officer serving two years in prison for smuggling firearms into West Papua has been dishonorably discharged from the force.

An ethics panel hearing the case, headed by Comr. Sudarsono from the Papua Police, issued its decision against Haeruddin Arifin after a daylong hearing on Saturday.

The Jayapura administration is planning to require male residents to undergo circumcision in an effort to cut HIV/AIDS transmission rates in Papua.

Edison Muabuay, an administration spokesman, said the program was spurred by numerous studies worldwide that found circumcision to be an effective tool against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Timika – Strikers have finally returned to work after a long work stoppage at giant copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (PT FI) in Papua, following the signing of a Joint Working Agreement (PKB) between the PT FI Mining, Energy and Chemical Workers' trade union and the company's management.

One man was critically injured and another missing after reportedly being ambushed by a group of armed men in Papua's Mulia district on Thursday, the latest attack against civilians in the province.

Arientha Primanita – The government has vowed to improve the infrastructure and welfare of the people of Papua, but stopped short of committing to an all-inclusive dialogue to address the problems afflicting the restive province.

The Australian Government's silence on human rights abuses in the region has once again been put in the spotlight, with the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) and International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP) urging the Foreign Minister to speak up in defence of basic rights such as freedom of expression and assembly.

Washington – The United States called Tuesday on Indonesia to ensure due process and address grievances in the restive Papua region after a court indicted five activists for treason.

Nick Chesterfield with local sources in Jayapura – The treason trial against the leaders of the Third Papuan People's Congress in Jayapura was adjourned on Monday until February 8, after a short hearing that Indonesian authorities moved at the last moment preventing many supporters from attending.

[This hand-written statement is signed by the five Papuans who went on trial in Jayapura on 30 January 2012, and is translated in full by Carmel Budiardjo, TAPOL.]

Banjir Ambarita & Mary Anugrah Rasita, Jayapura – Education experts and officials have decried the poor state of schools in Papua in the wake of a revelation that half of all students at a state elementary school in Jayapura, the provincial capital, were illiterate.

We wish you a Happy New Year 2012

(un-official translation)

First of all, we, the leaders of Churches in Papua would like to express our sincere thanks to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who invites and welcomes us to this meeting. Shalom,

Jayapura – An Indonesian court on Monday indicted five Papuan activists for treason for raising an outlawed Papuan flag and declaring the region independent.

The men, who led a peaceful pro-independence celebration attended by 5,000 indigenous Papuans on Oct. 19, face life in prison if found guilty.

The Indonesian government should show its commitment to peaceful expression by dropping the charges against these five Papuan activists. It's appalling that a modern democratic nation like Indonesia continues to lock up people for organizing a demonstration and expressing controversial views. – Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director

Human Rights Watch on Sunday called on Indonesia to drop treason charges against five peaceful protesters, a day ahead of their expected trial in the remote province of Papua.

Nick Chesterfield with sources – West Papua's civil resistance movement is believed to be organising major demonstrations to support West Papuan leaders facing treason charges in Indonesia's courts on Monday, January 30.

The Asian Human Rights Commission released an urgent appeal on Friday calling on Indonesian authorities to allow a political prisoner suffering from a tumor to receive medical treatment.

AHRC reported that political prisoner Kimanus Wenda, held at the Nabire prison in Papua, needs surgery on a tumor in his stomach.

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-008-2012

Dear friends,