Isaac Nicholas – The media delegation accompanying Barnabus Suebu, the Governor of Papua province in Indonesia, was chased away in a confrontation with the West Papua community at their 8 Mile settlement on Monday.

Andra Jackson – Thirty-seven years ago former Papuan politicians Clemens Runawery and Wim Zonggonau boarded a plane on an urgent mission that might have changed the political fate of their now Indonesian-ruled province.

Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court sentenced Friday three of the last seven defendants on trial for their involvement in the deadly Abepura clash to four and five years in prison.

The 3rd Annual National gathering for the Australian Coalition of West Papua Support Groups affirms the right of the people of West Papua to Self-determination [1] and Decolonization. The gathering condemns the colonial abuse, exploitation and state-sponsored crimes against humanity still being committed by Indonesian military, police and now militia forces.

Jakarta – Six of the seven Papuans detained for allegedly killing two US nationals and an Indonesian near the PT Freeport gold mine in Timika, Papua, have gone on a hunger strike to protest their trial.

Ayapura – The Jayapura District Court on Thursday sentenced two of seven remaining defendants to five years in prison for their part in a fatal clash with police on March 16 in Abepura.

The clash took place during a protest against mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia. Four police officers and a member of the Air Force died in the violence.

Pontianak (Agencies) – The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia Saturday expressed its concern about the expel of five Australian journalists from Papua when they were carried out their jobs in the province.

Jayapura – Five Australian TV journalists were being deported from Indonesia on Thursday after traveling to restive Papua province on tourist visas, police and witnesses said.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Six of the seven Papuan men standing trial for allegedly killing two Americans and one Indonesian in 2002 objected to testimony by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents Tuesday.

The agents, Ronald C. Eowan and Paul Ryan Mayers, helped arrest the seven suspects, including alleged ringleader Antonius Wamang, in Timika, Papua, in January.

John McBeth, Timika – For centuries, Papua's warlike mountain tribesmen have used bows and arrows, spears and knives to settle their differences over women and pigs – and not necessarily in that order of priority.

Hamish McDonald – Political leaders in Canberra and Port Moresby want the voices of a diplomatically awkward rebellion buried in East Awin, Papua New Guinea, a settlement in a vast and sparsely populated landscape of rivers, swamps and forest.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Papuans claim that Indonesian riot police have used an ongoing tribal warfare in eastern Papua to kill at least three Papuan villagers.

Two tribes armed with spears, bows and arrows and traditional machetes have been warring since last Thursday in Kwambi Lama, a village close to the giant Freeport copper mine.

Timika – An unidentified group of people shot Sunday a security car of PT Freeport Indonesia, the giant gold and copper mine, in the country's easternmost province, a police officer said.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Jayapura District Court had to postpone the Abepura case trial yet again Friday after the prosecution failed to present the remaining seven defendants to be tried for their involvement in the deadly March 16 clash with police.

Jakarta – Hundreds of Indonesian police are trying to prevent further fighting between two warring Papuan tribes after three people were killed, and more than a dozen injured in remote Papua, police said.

West Papuan student detainees boycott court process as protestors brace for military action

West Papuan church and community leaders have joined with women's and grassroots organisations to hold an all night vigil and blockade of the Abepura prison where students accused of killing members of Indonesia's security forces are being held.

Mark Forbes, Indonesia – Papuan activists charged over the murder of four Indonesian police and one intelligence officer boycotted their trial yesterday after being assaulted by police as they were being returned to prison.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The remaining seven defendants being tried for their involvement in a deadly clash with police on March 16 in Abepura, Papua, refused to appear in court Wednesday after one of them was beaten up by a police officer Monday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
Istana Negara,
Jalan Merdeka 3,
Jakarta, Indonesia

31 August 2006

Dear President Yudhoyono,

I am writing to you with great concern for the safety of Nelson Ipan Kornelius Rumbiak, who is 20 years old.

The trial of seven Papuans charged with the killing of two American nationals and one Indonesian is likely to continue without the defendants and their lawyers, after the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday ruled against defendants' arguments that the case should be tried in Papua.

Kris Fathoni W, Jakarta – After holding a long-march from the State Palace, West Papuan protesters demonstrated at the Central Jakarta State Court demanding that the defendants in the 2002 Timika shooting case be released.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – The number of illiterate people in Tangerang regency has jumped dramatically within the past two years, an education official claims.

Education agency head Muhyi Syarifudin said the agency had measured a rapid increase in illiterate people from 2,673 in 2004 to 190,123 this year.

Arfi Bambani Amri, Jakarta – Around 50 people from the West Papua Peoples United Struggle Front (Pepera) demonstrated in front of the US Embassy on Monday August 28 calling for the defendants in the Timika shooting case to be unconditionally released.

Jayapura – Police in Papua have issued an arrest warrant for Jefri Pagawak, a local activist wanted for allegedly masterminding violent demonstrations throughout the province.

The order came after Jefri eluded police who tried to arrest him in Timika on Tuesday night.

An explosive report in today's issue of The Bulletin has vindicated a field investigation into the activities of the Indonesian military (TNI) in the Papua New Guinea - West Papuan border region. This investigation was undertaken by fieldworkers from May 14 to 14 June 2006 on behalf of the Free West Papua campaign in Australia.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The level of human rights violations in Papua has increased in recent years, according to one observer, who asked the international community to do more for the province.

On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney), I am writing to you concerning the issue of West Papua. It was disappointing that concern for the human rights situation in West Papua was not mentioned in last years PIF Communique, as it has been in previous years.

Refugee and Free West Papua supporters this afternoon welcomed the Prime Minister's decision to scuttle the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill and

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Lawyers for seven men charged with the 2002 killings of two Americans and one Indonesian in Papua province entered a not guilty plea for their clients Tuesday, saying the indictments were obscure or baseless.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent visit to Papua marked the government's renewed commitment to addressing the multitude of problems facing the local people. Papua University scholar Agus Sumule, who helped draft the law on special autonomy for Papua, shared with The Jakarta Post's Dwi Atmanta his views on the implementation of the law.

Pip Hinman – Refugee-rights campaigners and supporters of a free West Papua welcomed the Refugee Review Tribunal's (RRT) ruling on July 31 to overturn the government's decision not to grant a temporary visa to the last of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers who landed on Cape York in January.

Hundreds of Papuan students on the run from the police following the clashes on 16 March this year are still hiding in the forests around Jayapura District and City, and the District of Keerom. They are too frightened to return home because they are being hunted by the TNI/Polri.

Andra Jackson – A Papuan asylum seeker whose visa refusal has been overturned says he believes the refusal was made on political grounds to appease Indonesia.

"It was like an international bargain," said David Wainggai, 28, the only one of 43 Papuan asylum seekers not granted a temporary protection visa in March.

Jakarta – The judges in the Central Jakarta District Court have had to postpone the court hearing into the shooting of three PT Freeport employees. In addition to the defense attorney not being ready, Antonius Wamang and his six colleagues are still refusing to be tried in Jakarta.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Seven men charged with the 2002 murders of two American nationals and an Indonesian in Papua province said Tuesday they would rather die than stand trial in Jakarta.

Jewel Topsfield and Michelle Grattan, Canberra – Papua independence activist David Wainggai could be at risk of "serious harm" from Indonesian military or security forces if sent home, the Refugee Review Tribunal has warned.

Jayapura – President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed to evaluate Law No.21/2001 on Papua Special Autonomy in view of the latest developments in the easternmost Indonesian region.

Michael Gordon – A Federal Government decision to deny a Papuan asylum seeker refugee status in Australia has been overturned by the independent Refugee Review Tribunal.

Campaigners from Free West Papua Campaign in Melbourne have welcomed the decision by the Refugee Review Tribunal in overturning the original Immigration Department rejection of David Wainggai's application for Refugee Status.

Dimas Adityo, Jakarta – The Indonesian military (TNI) will continue to keep on guard against the Free Papua Movement (OPM) groups that are still exist in the Papuan interior, even though several members surrendered to the government late last week.

Markus Makur, Timika – Two tribes involved in a series of deadly clashes over the past week in Mimika regency, Papua, have sat down for peace talks, but no deal has yet been reached.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Papua's "special autonomy" status has not brought significant progress to the people because it has failed to address their fundamental needs, a survey suggests.

Jakarta – A court in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua on Wednesday jailed two people for five and six years each for taking part in violent protests against a US-run mine, a lawyer said.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with security officers in March near Papua's capital Jayapura over the mine run by US giant Freeport-McMoran, leaving six people dead.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court on Monday sentenced 11 protesters involved in a deadly March 16 clash with police in Abepura to jail terms of between five and six years.

The meeting in the port city of Madang brought together commanders from six commands in the West Papuan National Army.

Meeting organiser Jonah Wenda told AAP most of the commanders had crossed the border from Papua to attend the meeting and they had pledged to continue their struggle for a free Papua through non-violent means.

Jayapura – During the reading of defense speeches at the Jayapura District Court on Wednesday July 19, four of the defendants charged over the Abepura riots that resulted in the death of four police officers and an Indonesian airforce officer have retracted the statements made in their interrogation reports.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court opened the trial Tuesday of seven Papuans charged with the 2002 murders of two American teachers and an Indonesian who worked for PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika, Papua.

The suspects were forcibly brought to trial by police after twice refusing to appear. The defendants demanded that the trial be held in Timika.

Alby Dallas – Hendrik Ervan Baldus from the People's Democratic Party of Indonesia is the chairperson of the Papuan National Student Front. He attended the 35th Resistance national conference, giving greetings from both organisations.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Istana Negara
Jakarta, Indonesia

19 July 2006

Dear Mr President,

We have received reports of serious human rights violations perpetrated by Indonesian police officers in West Papua and we urge you to address the situation ahead of your visit to the territory next week.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A police officer who was allegedly drunk when he shot dead his female companion was mobbed and killed Saturday by hundreds of villagers in Tolikara, Papua. The dead woman has been identified as 20-year-old Selfi Kogoya.