Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The Regional Representatives Council claims the government was too slow in helping victims of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Papua regencies of Yapen and Biak last week.

An academic in Indonesian politics says the United Nations approval of the referendum which incorporated Papua region into the republic makes it difficult to have it revised.

The Indonesian government has told the global rights watchdog group, Human Rights Watch, that it plans to address the mistreatment of political prisoners in Papua.

In its new report on freedom of expression in Indonesia, HRW found that jails hold at least 100 political prisoners from the Papua and Moluccas regions, and some are being tortured.

A Vanuatu member of parliament says he's not worried about reaction from Indonesia to Vanuatu's attempts to get the question of West Papua raised internationally. On Saturday, parliament unanimously passed a motion calling for the International Court of Justice to investigate the legality of West Papua becoming part of Indonesia in the 1960s.

Nivell Rayda – The government must release 100 political prisoners in Papua and Maluku if it is to make any headway in its upcoming human-rights dialogue with the European Union, says a leading rights group.

More than 2,500 homes were "badly damaged" and 17 deaths in Wednesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Papua, Andi Arief, the presidential adviser for social welfare, said on Monday.

Vanuatu's parliament has unanimously passed a motion calling for the International Court of Justice to investigate the the legality of West Papua becoming part of Indonesia. The motion was jointly sponsored by prime minister Edward Natapei and opposition leader Maxime Carlot Korman.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Edward Natapei, has said he will sponsor the issue of Papua to the Melane sian Spearhead Group and Pacific Islands Forum meetings.

He will propose that the independent movement of West Papua be granted Observer Status within these two regional bodies.

A Vanuatu government MP says it's hoped that parliament's passing of a motion to raise issues around the status of Indonesian territories of New Guinea, at the United Nations, won't upset relations with Jakarta.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Around 2,000 Papuans went on a 20-kilometer march Friday to demand the Papua Legislative Council overturn the province's special autonomy status.

The protesters held a peaceful rally, some clad in traditional attire, and marched from the Papua People's Assembly in Abepura to the council building in Jayapura.

Banjir Ambarita & AFP, Jayapura – An estimated 2,000 Papuans took to the streets of provincial capital Jayapura to demand independence from Indonesia, days after a local council called for the province's special autonomy to be revoked because of its perceived ineffectiveness.

Two official Papuan representative bodies in Indonesia's Papua region have announced they're "handing back" Special Autonomy status to Jakarta.

Sali Pelu, Manokwari (Indonesia) – Three people were killed and hundreds of homes damaged Wednesday when a series of strong earthquakes hit eastern Indonesia, triggering a tsunami warning and widespread panic.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – An officer of a police elite unit charged with hunting down members of the outlawed separatist group Free Papua Movement was shot and killed while on patrol on Monday.

Human Rights Watch Indonesia says a humanitarian crisis is worsening in Puncak Jaya in West Papua's Highlands amid escalation of military and police activity across the remote region.

Jakarta – Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a police officer in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, state media reported Tuesday.

The incident took place Monday while the officer was on patrol in Puncak Jaya district, Papua police spokesman Wachyono said, according to the Antara news agency.

A Greenpeace forest campaigner says immediate action is needed to stop the destruction of forests in Papua.

The Papua Forestry Office last week told the Jakarta Post it believed forested areas of the Indonesian province are shrinking even further because of new infrastructure developments and are being threatened by plans to develop a massive food estate.

The chief editor of an independent newspaper in Indonesia's Papua region has denied a claim by Papua's police commander that journalists covering regional stories focus only on negative security issues.

Papua's Forestry Office says the forested areas in the Indonesian province are shrinking even further.

Jakarta – Due to a misunderstanding, a group of people in Nabire regency, Papua, vandalized Topo police headquarters on Monday. Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Wachyono confirmed about the incident but said no casualties were reported.

Indonesia is a democracy. But many Papuans do not want to be part of it.

A Papuan church leader says creating another province out of the Indonesian half of New Guinea is not the answer to the ongoing conflict in Papua region.

A plan to create Central Papua as a new and additional province to the exising two, Papua and West Papua, appears to be gaining traction in the Regional House of Representatives.

The Hon Stephen Smith MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600

30 May 2010

Dear Mr Smith,

A project to create a large agricultural estate in Merauke in Indonesia's Papua province may still to go ahead despite the President announcing a two-year moratorium on new logging concessions.

Baudoin Koenig, a French independent TV documentary maker due to be expelled from Indonesia has today been allowed to stay in the country. However his assistant, Carole Liorthois, has been deported back to France for having overstayed her tourist visa.

Nurfika Osman – Little good has come of the special autonomy status conferred on Papua in 2001 with most people there left behind by the nation's push for development, activists and community representatives said at a discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan independence from the Republic of Indonesia remains a hot topic among Papuans, with many still struggling for a separate state, a discussion heard Tuesday.

Erwida Maulia and Nethy Darma Somba, Jakarta/Papua – When French journalist and lecturer Baudouin Koenig and his student Carole Lorthiois arrived in Indonesia a month ago, they thought Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, applied press freedom, as the government itself often claims.

Jakarta – A member of the Regional House of Representatives (DPD) fully supports a plan for the creation of Central Papua as a new province separate from the existing Papua provinces.

Markus Makur, Paniai (Papua) – The move to involve women in community development has gained momentum in Painai regency, Papua, with a training program specifically targeting women.

The Raising Her Voice program is run by the People's Welfare Development Foundation (Yapkema) in Paniai with Oxfam GB Papua.

Jakarta – A French journalist who was recently deported after filming a rally in Jayapura, Papua, is questioning his expulsion by Indonesian authorities'.

Nivell Rayda – Local members of the media have condemned Tuesday's detention of two French journalists in Papua, saying the move undermined freedom of the press.

Victor Mambor, chairman of the Papua chapter of the Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI), said the government had crossed the line.

Markus Makur, Timika, Papua – Police in Mimika regency, Papua, on Monday detained four people following a conflict stemming from the death of a resident in an attack on Mimika Baru district on Sunday evening.

Mimika Police chief Muhammad Sagi told reporters on Monday that security conditions in Timika, Mimika's capital, were still tense following the murder.

Two French television journalists were arrested by immigration officers in Jayapura, Papua on Tuesday.

Baydo in-Koeniag, a French television producer and her reporter Caroll were arrested at 1.30 p.m. when they were covering a rally held by the National Committee of Western Papua at Papua's Regional Legislative Council in Jayapura.

Timika – A violent tribal conflict in Timika, Papua, has prompted scores of women and children to flee their homes to the safety of a nearby military base, a witness said on Monday.

Markus Makur, Timika, Papua – A Papuan figure from native Amungme tribe, Silas Natkime, has secured support from influential Papua People's Assembly (MRP) to lead US-based gold mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia.

Silas, currently Freeport senior manager for Papuan affairs, will take over from the gold miner's current president director Armando Mahler, a local figure claims.

Markus Makur, Timika – Puncak Jaya Regent Lukas Enembe says that intellectual activists might be behind a series of attacks by armed civilians in the regency and has urged the military and police to arrest them.

Jakarta – A group of unidentified gunmen attacked police and military troops who were evacuating two injured soldiers from a military post in Yambi area in the Papua highland regency of Puncak Jaya on Saturday.

Radot Gurning & M Irham, Papua – Indonesia is often hailed as the country with the greatest freedom of speech in Asia. But while antigovernment protests are a weekly and colorful norm in Jakarta, it's a different story in the country's far eastern tip of Papua.

Nivell Rayda – Freeing political prisoners would not address the key problems in Papua, Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

He was commenting on remarks by Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar that several Papuan political detainees would be pardoned by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The Indonesia military is reportedly waging a campaign of fear throughout the Puncak Jaya region of West Papua in Indonesia over a looming deadline.

An Australia-based NGO says the military is conducting a sweep operation, and has given the civilian population until June 28th to hand over weapons.

Rana Akbari Fitriawan, Bandung – A hundred students staged a rally in front of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) campus on Jl. Ganesha on Tuesday in support of Papuan students who had been subject to racist online taunts by an ITB student.

Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Thousands of protestors in Jayapura, Papua, demanded on Tuesday that the government implement a decree that would require that candidates in Papua's regional elections be indigenous Papuans.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) supports the idea of amnesties for political prisoners with a specific criterion from Papua. Such a step would be even more effective in creating a safer and more peaceful situation if accompanied by intensive dialogue with the Papuan community.

Elin Yunita Kristanti – None of the countries in the European Union supports the Papuan independence. On the contrary, the EU stands behind the implementation of the special autonomy in the easternmost province of Indonesia.

A military operation is taking place in the Puncak Jaya region of West Papua. Security forces are conducting a sweep (operation) in the area to pursue members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Attention and concern. Something ordinary people hope for from their leaders. Such hopes were clearly apparent when Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar visited the Abepura Penitentiary in Papua on Saturday May 15.

Alastair Jamieson – Tribespeople in West Papua have pinned their hopes on David Cameron helping their campaign for independence from Indonesia.

Posters of the Conservative leader have been held aloft in villages across the province following news of his arrival in Downing Street in the wake of the coalition agreement.

Jakarta – A leader of the Free Papua movement, Nicolas Jouwe, has become an Indonesian citizen after living in exile in the Netherlands for 50 years.

He received his certificate of citizenship from Minister of Law and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar in Papua's provincial capital Jayapura on Saturday.

Jayapura – Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said Sunday he planned to release a number of Papuan political activists jailed for campaigning for separation from Indonesia.