The interim president of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) has accused Indonesia of holding its 20th National Games "on the bones of my people".

"While we mourn for three years of Indonesian military operations, these games are a dance on top of our graves, on top of our suffering, on top of our cries," Benny Wenda said today in a statement.

Yamin Kogoya – Two Melanesian state leaders addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on West Papua last week.

During the 76th UNGA, both Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, and Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Bob Loughman, expressed concern about human rights issues in West Papua.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Sorong, West Papua – With its lush rainforests and long stretches of beaches, Waimon, a coastal village in Indonesia's West Papua province, seems like an idyllic place.

But some residents consider it a hostile, almost inhospitable place due to its remoteness and the heavy rains that can make traveling by boat a deadly prospect.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – A riot broke out in Yahukimo of Papua on Sunday, October 3, killing six residents and leaving 41 others injured. The clashes between residents started at around 12:45 Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT).

Victor Mambor, Jayapura – A major national sports event opened in Papua at the weekend, with officials hoping it will showcase the Indonesian government's commitment to developing the province and reassure the public that the region is safe despite an active and escalating pro-independence insurgency.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – After a year's delay due to the pandemic, the 20th National Games (PON) started in Papua over the weekend under heavy security – the first major sporting event in the restive easternmost region of Indonesia and despite virus concerns.

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Whisnu Bagus, Jayapura – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo continued his trip in Papua on Sunday to inaugurate several projects, a day after opening historic national games in the easternmost province.

It's for the first time that Papua becomes a host of the multi-event games held every four years.

Maria Baru, Sorong – Frater Anton Syufi from the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) was arrested by the Jayapura city district police on Sunday October 3 for wearing a Morning Star (BK) independence flag T-shirt while watching a soccer match between the Papua and East Nusa Tenggara National Games teams at the Mandala Stadium in Jayapura, Papua.

Sorong (Antara) – Jalan Jenderal Sudirman in Sorong city, West Papua province, which has been damaged for two years, was quickly resurfaced in the lead up to a visit by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who will arrive in Sorong on Monday October 4.

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Jakarta – The Papua Advocacy Team says that the police committed acts of violence and sexual harassment when they broke up a protest action and arrested 17 people in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday September 30.

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Indonesian police arrested 17 indigenous Papuan students and activists during a protest outside the US embassy in Jakarta.

Victor Mambor Jayapura, Indonesia – A major national sports event opens in Papua on Saturday, with officials hoping it will showcase the Indonesian government's commitment to developing the province and reassure the public that the region is safe despite an active and escalating separatist insurgency.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The police forcibly broke up a protest action marking the 1962 Rome Agreement in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta on the afternoon of Thursday September 30 and arrested 17 Papuan activists.

Johnny Blades – Church leaders warn the presence of Indonesian soldiers in classrooms in West Papua is proving traumatic for children in a region mired in conflict.

Jakarta – The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has only just ended. Apart from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's pre-recorded speech, Indonesia made a mark during the annual world event because of alleged human rights abuses in Papua.

Hilaire Bule – The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has saluted Vanuatu's declaration on human rights violation by Indonesia in West Papuan soil, at the 76th United Nations General Assembly.

Jakarta – The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) has criticised the United Nations over a report on intimidation and violence against human rights activists in Papua.

Dian Septiari and Nur Janti, Jakarta – The government faced more international scrutiny of its activities in Papua as the United Nations capped a whirlwind of multilateral diplomatic activities, even as violence continued to simmer in Indonesia's easternmost provinces.

There have been a number of armed clashes between the Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) and the Indonesian security forces in the past month with casualties on both sides.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister has told the United Nations about a lack of progress on human rights in West Papua.

Bob Loughman told the UN General Assembly that the indigenous people of West Papua continue to suffer human rights violations under Indonesian rule.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – The Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) of Papua revealed a number of challenges faced in mitigating Covid-19 situations in Papua from various aspects. One of those aspects is culture.

"Many people still believe that disease is the work of evil spirits," PAEI chairman Hasmi said in an online discussion on Friday, September 24, 2021.

Jakarta – Residents in the remote town of Kiwirok in Papua have evacuated amid worsening security situation due to an escalation of attacks by rebels, a local government official said on Friday.

The United Liberation Movement of West Papua has blamed the Indonesian military over the attack at a hospital in Kiwirok, near the Papua New Guinean border, in which a nurse was killed.

Indonesia's military forces have been evacuating residents of Kiwirok district in Papua province's Pegunungan Bintang regency following more violence there.

An Indonesian soldier is the latest victim of violent exchanges between pro-independence West Papuan fighters and the republic's security forces in the regency's Star Mountains area.

Lani Diana Wijaya, Jakarta – The Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) of Papua said that five venues that would be used for the 20th National Sports Week (PON) in Papua are located in Covid-19 red zones. PAEI chairman Hasmi also said that not all cities and regencies in Papua have PCR testing equipment.

[Newsroom Special Investigation: An Auckland property developer is involved in a company linked to carrying out deforestation in Indonesia, where virgin rainforest is being bulldozed to grow palm oil plantations. Watch Melanie Reid's video story above.]

Jakarta – Papua human rights activist and lawyer Veronica Koman says there are two versions of what happened during an attack by the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) on health workers in the Kiwirok district, Star Highlands, Papua. During the incident, a healthcare worker named Gabriella Maelani (22) was killed.

Jakarta – Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) Director Emmanuel Gobay says that West Papua National Committee (KNPB) international spokesperson Victor Yeimo is in a critical condition. The suspect in the 2019 riots in Jayapura is suffering from multi-drug resistance tuberculosis (TBC MDR), allegedly as a result of not receiving prompt treatment.

Agencies, Jakarta – A United Nations expert has urged Indonesia to provide proper medical care to a Papuan independence activist to "keep him from dying in prison", after reports emerged that his health had deteriorated, Reuters reported.

Victor Yeimo, 39, who is the international spokesman for the West Papua National Committee, was arrested in Jayapura in May.

Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Papua province have killed a government soldier during a gunfight, the military says.

The fighting broke out after insurgents opened fire on soldiers guarding Kiwi airport in Kiwirok district, provincial military spokesman Colonel Reza Nur Patria said on Tuesday.

Christopher Knaus – Human rights groups say revelations that Australia sat on its hands after learning of Indonesian military atrocities against West Papuan demonstrators are "deeply disturbing" and should prompt an independent investigation.

Evarianus Supar, Uyu Liman, Timika – A total of 1,500 military and police personnel will be deployed to secure the XX Papua National Sports Week (PON) in Mimika District, a senior official has said.

Tatang Guritno, Jakarta – Papuan civilians will continue to fall victim if the government continues to use a security approach to resolve the problems in the land of the Cenderawasih as Papua is known.

Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – Doctors in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua have demanded protection following an attack by gunmen on a clinic in which a nurse was killed and another seriously wounded.

Geneva – Indonesia must provide West Papuan human rights defender Victor Yeimo with proper medical care to keep him from dying in prison, a UN human rights expert said today.

Christopher Knaus – In the pre-dawn light, beneath a water tower on the West Papuan island of Biak, Yudha Korwa lay bleeding in the dirt.

Four days earlier, the young high school student, full of hope in post-Suharto, Reformasi Indonesia, had joined hundreds of other independence activists to fly the Morning Star, the banned West Papuan flag, near Biak's harbour.

Andita Rahma, Maudey K. Setyakusuma, Jakarta – The National Police Headquarters have prepared anticipatory steps to secure the National Sports event or PON in Papua to prevent possible terror threats from armed groups or KKB, as listed by the authorities.

Jakarta – A group of gunmen has attacked a remote district in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua targeting a clinic and other public facilities, leaving at least a medical worker dead, authorities said on Thursday.

London – Peaceful demonstrators, student activists, West Papuan and Indonesian political activist groups, human rights lawyers and defenders and individual civilians experienced extreme repression for their involvement in peaceful demonstrations and meetings which occurred in 2020 in West Papua and outside West Papua.

Ernes BK, Rahmad Nasution, Manokwari, W Papua – Home Minister Tito Karnavian highlighted "a specialty" pertaining to the public's aspirations in the Merauke, Boven Digoel, Mappi, and Asmat districts in Papua Province regarding a regional division to create South Papua Province.

Ronny Kareni, Canberra – For the last 20 years the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law has provided a cover for the expansion of a form of "guided democracy". With the House of Representatives' unanimous decision to pass the revision of the law on July 15, the last vestige of "local autonomy" has now been removed.

Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) says that based on their analysis the September 2 killing of four soldiers during an attack on the Kisor sub-district military post in Maybrat regency, West Papua province, the attack is being used as means to force the KNPB into a corner and to criminalise them.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton are attending the seventh Indonesia-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers 2+2 dialog in Jakarta starting Thursday (before continuing on to visit New Delhi, Seoul, Washington and New York).

Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura – The chairman of the Lay Apostolic Commission for the Manokwari-Sorong Diocese, Isak Bame, has reported that residents from five districts in Maybrat Regency are fleeing their villages after the attack on the military post in Kisor Village, South Aifat District on September 2, 2021, which led to security forces sweeping villages searching for the culprit.

Indonesian authorities have been accused of adopting a strategy of deploying military force to drive thousands of Papuans from their homes to make way for powerful business interests.

Reports from West Papua indicate thousands of people have fled their homes to the jungle after the latest deadly violence in Maybrat regency.

Pro-independence fighters with the West Papua Liberation Army have been blamed for killing four Indonesian soldiers on an attack on a military post in Maybrat last week.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Clearing of natural forests has been detected on land licensed to a subsidiary of South Korean paper company Moorim in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua, indicating an increase in deforestation.

A major bloc of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries has written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about their concern over West Papua.

The letter from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States requests "an urgent mission to West Papua to provide an evidence-based, informed report on the human rights situation" there.

Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura – Rights defender and lawyer Yan Christian Warinussy, the director of the Institute for Research, Assessment, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) Manokwari, has urged the commander of XVIII/Kasuari Military Command to release Maikel Yaam (17) and Simon Waymbewer (26) who were detained by soldiers of the Battalion 726/VYS and Kodim 1809 Maybrat in Kisor Villag

Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) spokesperson Ones Suhuniap is asking the Papua regional police to retract a statement that the KNPB are planning to disrupt the 20th National Gamers (PON XX) in Papua next month. According to the KNPB, this is a public lie and intended to shape public opinion.