A spokesperson for the Institute of Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights says the border between the Indonesian province and Papua New Guinea isn't recognised by the indigenous people living there.

Jerry Omona, Jayapura – Thousands of Papuan occupied the Papua People's Council (MRP) offices in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Wednesday January 26 demanding that the government cancel the election of council members scheduled to take place on January 31.

Papua New Guinea's acting deputy police commissioner says the 77 Papuans arrested in a border crackdown near Vanimo are being assessed for links with the Papuan liberation movement, the OPM.

Fred Yakasa says anyone found not be a citizen of PNG will be considered an OPM activist and sent to the refugee camp at East Darwin.

Hundreds of Papuans protested on Wednesday rejecting the region's special autonomy within Indonesia and demanding a referendum on self-determination.

Washington – The US says Indonesia must hold its armed forces accountable for rights violations after three soldiers accused of torture received only 8 to 10 month jail terms.

Footage of the torture of two Papuan men was posted on YouTube last year. It showed the soldiers burning the genitals of one unarmed, naked man and running a knife across the neck of another.

The Australian Greens have called for the Government to cut all military ties with Indonesia in response to light jail terms handed down yesterday to Indonesian soldiers who tortured two Papuan men.

The West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT), East and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and TAPOL condemn the Indonesian government's failure to hold Indonesian military personnel responsible for the grave crime of torture of two Papuans.

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The government will set aside about Rp 1 trillion (US$110.34 million) from the 2011 State Budget to build the foundations for the Merauke food estate project in the country's easternmost province of Papua, a senior minister says.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Three soldiers who tortured two Papuan men were yesterday handed prison sentences of less than a year and will be allowed to continue their careers, despite assurances that perpetrators of such abuses would be dealt with severely and dishonourably discharged.

Banjir Ambarita, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Nivell Rayda, Indonesia – A military tribunal in Papua that handed light sentences to three soldiers involved in torturing two civilians faced a chorus of anger from activists who called it a gross injustice that they had not been tried for human rights violations.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Bagus BT Saragih, Jayapura/Jakarta – In what one rights activist called a "miscarriage of justice", a military tribunal sentenced three soldiers to eight to 10 months in prison on Monday for torturing two native Papuans.

Amnesty International has criticised the trial and sentences handed to Indonesian soldiers who were filmed abusing Papuan prisoners.

Jakarta – Most of the people reporting HIV/AIDS infections in Papua last year were housewives, accounting for 164 individuals, the government says.

Most of these women had contracted HIV from their husbands, Jayapura AIDS Commission secretary Purnomo said Monday in Sentani as reported by kompas.com reported. "Their husbands were unfaithful," he said

Peter Alford, Jakarta – Three Indonesian soldiers have been sentenced to short prison terms over the torture of two Papuans, bringing an unsatisfactory close to another discreditable episode for the troubled territory's army.

Senior officials must both talk the talk and walk the walk on human rights. The military should stop shielding its officers from prosecution, and the government needs to hold abusers accountable. – Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Activists have lambasted "lenient" sentences sought for three soldiers accused of torturing two Papuan men, but the military has urged the public to reserve judgment until the ongoing court-martial is finished.

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The light sentences sought for soldiers who tortured two Papuans, coupled with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's dismissal of the torture as "a minor incident" only perpetuates systematic torture of Papuans, activists said.

In a statement that may hurt his image as a champion of democracy, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday that a vicious torture incident in Papua that triggered global outrage was "a minor incident".

Jakarta – Human rights activists in Papua deem the president's claim that no gross human rights violations occurred in Papua under his administration as a complete farce. The statement was made by the president during a meeting between police and Indonesian military leaders.

Jayapura – The Home Affairs Ministry has asked for alteration of the definition of "Indigenous Papuans" amid the ongoing election of new members for Papua People's Council (MRP).

MRP members consist of representatives from Papuan tribal elders, the religious community and women. "Indigenous Papuan" used to be defined as the indigenous ethnic people of Papua.

Indonesian prosecutors have demanded jail terms of up to 12 months for three soldiers accused of disobedience after they filmed themselves torturing Papuan civilians.

In footage posted on YouTube last year, the soldiers apply a burning stick to the genitals of an unarmed man and threaten another with a knife as they interrogate them about the location of a weapons cache.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three soldiers of the Cendrawasih Military Command in Jayapura, Papua, could face nine months to one year in a military prison for alleged involvement in the torture of Papuans accused of being members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Andi Saputra, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that human rights violations in Papua are still high. These violations represent a threat to civil freedoms and discriminate against the Papuan people's identity.

Indonesian prosecutors have demanded jail terms of up to 12 months for three soldiers accused of disobedience after they filmed themselves torturing Papuan civilians.

In footage posted on YouTube last year, the soldiers apply a burning stick to the genitals of an unarmed man and threaten another with a knife as they interrogate them about the location of a weapons cache.

Jayapura – Three members of the Indonesian military (TNI) who are appearing as defendants in a case of torture against civilians in Papua have confessed to being guilty of their actions.

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The military must conduct a thorough investigation of a shooting incident left two civilians dead in Papua on Friday, the Defense Ministry says.

"We cannot conclude yet what happened there or why the incident occurred without first investigating it," Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. I Wayan Midhio said on Sunday.

The International Lawyers for West Papua (ILWP) wishes to remind the Indonesian government that special autonomy for West Papua (now divided into West Papua and Papua) is illegal under international law.

Jayapura – Two civilians were killed and a soldier was injured as three people were reported to have attacked a military post in Merauke, Papua, on Friday.

The attack reportedly took place at 8 a.m. local time, or 6 a.m. Jakarta time.

Indonesian soldiers on trial for the alleged brutal abuse of two Papuans should be charged with torture rather than the minor offence of disobeying orders, Amnesty International said on Saturday.

The three soldiers appeared Thursday before a military tribunal, after the online broadcast of a video showing the torture of unarmed men sparked an outcry.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military says it welcomes the United States governments pledge to closely monitor the trials of three Indonesian soldiers accused of torturing two Papuans.

Jakarta - Three members of the 753 Battalion are being tried by the Jayapura III-9 Military Court in the case of the torture of Papuans that was uploaded on the YouTube website.

Washington – The United States is closely monitoring the trial of three Indonesian soldiers accused of torturing two Papuans, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on Thursday.

Banjir Ambarita, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Nivell Rayda, Jayapura – Three soldiers faced a military court here on Thursday over the torture of two Papuan men that was captured on video and circulated on the Internet, prompting an international furor late last year.

UA: 7/11 Index: ASA 21/001/2011

Indonesian prisoner of conscience Buchtar Tabuni is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. He has been moved to an isolation cell, prompting fears for his safety.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Church leaders across Papua have asked the government to stop the election process of Papua People's Council (MRP) members until a national dialog between Jakarta and Papua is held as demanded by Papuans during a rally in June last year.

The rally, held on June 18, 2010, demanded the region's special autonomy be restored.

Dicky Christanto and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Papua Customary Council (PCC) blasted the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) probe into a string of cases of torture in the restive province, calling it a mere "bluff and formality".

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission's (Komnas HAM) recommendations on the torture of Papuans by Indonesian military (TNI) personnel is indecisive and wishy-washy.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military or TNI said on Wednesday said they would forward alleged torture cases against Papuans to the military tribunal.

"We will have the decision later, at the military tribunal," Lt. Gen. Noer Muis, the TNI's inspector general, said as reported by tempointeraktif.com.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top human rights body on Thursday urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take action against "serious" rights violations by security forces in eastern Papua region.

Jakarta - Responding to the results of an investigation into acts of violence in Puncak Jaya, Papua province, which was carried out by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), Indonesian military (TNI) commander-in-chief Admiral Agus Suhartono says that it must be understood that there are still many armed groups in Papua.

Armando Siahaan, Ismira Lutfia & AFP – The chief of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Adm. Agus Suhartono on Thursday said that while the abuse perpetrated by soldiers in Papua might fall under the human rights violation category, they were "not heavy violations."

Ina Parlina – The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Tuesday urged the government to conduct a through evaluation of its security operations in Papua following the emergence of three cases in which native Papuans were tortured by members of the military there.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) says human rights violations were committed in cases of torture and murder that took place in Puncak Jaya, Papua, although it is not recommending the formation of a human rights court.

Adi Nugroho, Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has concluded that serious human rights violations were committed by the Indonesian military (TNI) against people in Puncak Jaya, Papua.

In this year of 2011, violations of civil and political rights [will] still continue to occur in Papua, with such incidents as demonstrations, shootings, torture, hostage-taking, killings and so on, which result in conflict between the law enforcement agencies and civil society, according to a human rights observer, Yusack Reba.

Jayapura – Some 564 of the total of 939 inmates in Papua province will enjoy a remission in this year's Christmas celebrations.

Head of the Papua office of the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights Affairs Nazarudin Bunas said here Friday that of the total of 506 inmates who will receive a remission, 43 will directly walk free after receiving the remission.

The recently released cables by WikiLeaks in relation to West Papuan human rights confirm what NGOs have been telling their governments and the media for years – that it is the Indonesian military that are one of the main problems in West Papua.

Jakarta – Activists in Papua continue to voice their discontent with Indonesia's central government, calling for greater autonomy to help improve the region's socio-economic problems.

Health and education indicators in Indonesia's lesser-known province are in dire need of attention, experts say.

Nurfika Osman, Jayapura – While Papua has long had a reputation among many Indonesians for being inhospitable to outsiders, a small island there is proving naysayers wrong.

Kosong, or Empty, Island is just a 10-minute boat ride from Jayapura, the provincial capital, and has since 1968 been home to a small fishing community from Southeast Sulawesi.

Jayapura – Andi Rahmat Faisal was found dead on Wednesday, bringing to four the total number of shooting victims in the past three weeks in Jayapura regency.

"He was found at 1 o'clock and we believe he was killed a few days before. He had a gunshot wound to his left eye," Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.