Evarukdijati, Fardah, Jayapura, Papua – The management of Jayapura Provita Hospital decided to shut down all health services, including the emergency unit (IGD), from Friday, after its 54 health workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Antara, Jakarta – The Head of the Sorong Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Herlin Sasabone, confirmed that four people died due to flood and landslide that hit the city on Thursday night, July 16, 2020.

On Tuesday July 15 a protest action against Papuan Special Autonomy (Otsus) Chapter II was held at the zero kilometre point in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. The joint action was initiated by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP).

During the action they took up a number of demands including:

Jakarta – Papuan students from the Action Committee Against Special Autonomy demonstrated in front of the Home Affairs Ministry offices in Jakarta on Tuesday July 14 against Special Autonomy (Otsus). The students said that the policy is not needed by the people of the land of the Bird of Paradise as Papua is known.

Sophie Chao – A decade ago, the Indonesian government began to heavily promote large-scale plantation developments in Papua province, a region of savannahs and rich rainforests. A recent article published by Mongabay and The Gecko Project explores how corporate investors gained the rights to these projects and the fallout for local Indigenous populations.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry introduced a program dubbed Kita Cinta Papua or We Love Papua as an effort to build a bridge of solidarity from the country's westernmost province Aceh to the easternmost province Papua.

Teuku Faizasyah, Jakarta – Among my duties at the Foreign Ministry, spokesperson happens to be one of them. As a result, I am responsible for the many inquiries of the media – inquiries that lately have touched on support for our nationals abroad and the many challenges faced by Indonesian diplomacy amidst this pandemic.

Benny Wenda – For over 50 years, Indonesia has been promising West Papua "autonomy". Each time, underneath autonomy lies only bullets and killings.

Febriana Firdaus – The people of West Papua have suffered decades of oppression and discrimination at the hands of the Indonesian state. Now they've drawn inspiration from the Black Lives Matter protests to mount popular resistance to yet another authoritarian clampdown.

Abeth You, Jayapura – West Papua Liberation Army Division II Paniai published a statement to decline the extension of Special Autonomy in Papua.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Activists have called on the Indonesian authorities to probe the finances of the Korindo Group, a privately owned conglomerate, in the wake of an investigation that exposed a $22 million "consultancy" payment made by the company.

Denpasar – The Bali City Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) visited at the Bali Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) offices in the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar on Tuesday afternoon, July 7.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Sixteen groups in Papua have voiced opposition over the potential continuation of its special autonomy (Otsus) status, with the transfer of Otsus funds from the central government set to end next year.

Protesting under a movement called Petisi Rakyat Papua (Petition by Papuans), the groups also demanded a referendum to determine their own fate.

Today marks 22 years since the Biak Massacre when the Indonesian security forces massacred scores of people in Biak, West Papua.

Denpasar – The Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) held another demonstration on Monday July 7 at around 10 am. Like earlier actions, the rally was held in the Renon area of the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar.

Police were said to have used a water cannon on activists during a peaceful rally held by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) in Denpasar earlier today, along with reports of alleged physical assault against some participants, who were commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the Biak massacre.

The following is a translation of a press release by 17 West Papuan organisations that have launched a Papuan People's Petition (Petisi Rakyat Papua) to oppose the government's discussion on renewing Papua's Special Autonomy Law (Otsus) which expires next year.

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – For years, media coverage on Papua has straddled narratives on politics, natural resources, development, security and human rights, attracting attention from around the world.

However, there is one issue that is still rarely discussed in public – the casual racism experienced by native Papuans in their day-to-day lives.

Jakarta – In a remote area of Papua's Pegunungan Bintang regency, purchasing staple commodities will put a far bigger dent in your wallet than in most other areas of Indonesia.

Pacific Media Watch – A senior Indonesian government official and a New Zealand journalism professor have clashed over differing perspectives on access for journalists and media to the West Papua region.

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk – A Papuan church leader and advocate for social justice has penned an open letter to the Indonesian government calling for justice and an end to racism to enable a genuine self-determination process for the Melanesian region.

An Indonesian government official has characterised recent racism against West Papuans as an isolated pattern.

The Papuan Lives Matter movement has been gaining momentum in Indonesia since widspread anti-racism protests last year. The protests were sparked by racist harassment of West Papuan university students in Surabaya.

David Pierson, Singapore – Buchtar Tabuni steeled himself for the prospect of 17 years in prison, unaware that his future would be tied to protests over the fate of another dark-skinned man more than 8,000 miles away in the U.S. city of Minneapolis.

Yance Wenda, Papua – The COVID-19 outbreak has emerged a new dilemma for everybody. On the one hand, they should restrict their activities, but on the other hand, they have to work to get income for their families.

A consumer Delia Mallo said she is very concerned about Papuan women traders at Pharaa traditional market in Sentani, Jayapura Regency during the pandemic.

Maire Leadbeater – The global phenomenon that is the "Black lives Matter" movement has rejuvenated indigenous struggles and opened up a new dialogue about the impact of colonialism.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III member Taufik Basari from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) has criticised the sentences demanded by the Balikpapan state prosecutor in a recent case of alleged makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) over the Morning Star flag being flown by Papuans.

Jakarta – Chairman of the Synod of Indonesia Gospel Tabernacle Church (Kingmi) in Papua, Rev. Benny Giay regretted the conviction of seven Papuan political prisoners who were tried for treason.

Devina Halim, Jakarta – Wahid Foundation Director Yenny Wahid believes that flying the Morning Star flag is not an act of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) and that the Papuan people have a special right to use regional symbols as enshrined under law.

Sri Krishnamurthi – Miss Universe NZ 2019 beauty queen Diamond Langi is being trolled by thousands of Indonesians on social media for speaking up about discrimination against West Papuans.

In a year-long investigation with The Gecko Project, the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and Al Jazeera, Mongabay traced a $22 million "consultancy" payment connected to a major land deal in Indonesia's Papua province.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Human rights activists have slammed the government for what they deem the misuse of treason charges to prosecute Papuans, thereby threatening their freedom of speech and right to assembly.

The activists highlighted the recent imprisonment of seven Papuans following their arrest during antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua, in August last year.

Jakarta – Puncak Jaya regency in the remote Pegunungan Tengah area of Papua reported its first case of COVID-19 on Monday.

Papua COVID-19 task force spokesperson Silwanus Sumule said the patient exhibited light to moderate symptoms and was being treated at the Mulia General Regional Hospital.

On 17 June 2020, seven Papuan activists were convicted of treason (makar) and sentenced to between ten and 11 months in prison for their role in an anti-racism demonstration in August 2019.

Freeport Indonesia, operator of Grasberg, the world's second-biggest copper mine, is on track shift to all-underground mining by 2022, its chief executive said on Sunday.

"By 2021, approximately 75% of our operations will be underground mining, with it reaching 100% by 2022," said Tony Wenas, chief executive of PT Freeport Indonesia, a unit of Freeport-McMoran Inc.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – The government has decided to drop its appeal against a court ruling that found it had violated the law for blocking internet access in Papua and West Papua amid tensions caused by a string of antiracism protests in the two provinces last year.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has cancelled an appeal against a Jakarta Administrative Court (PTUN) ruling which found the government at fault for blocking internet access in Papua in 2019.

"The president has decided not to submit an appeal", Special Presidential Staff for legal affairs Dini Purwono told Kompas.com on Saturday June 20.

Apriza Pinandita, Jakarta – Indonesia urged the international community to speak up and take decisive action against racial violence at a United Nations forum in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

However, Indonesia's call comes amid concerns of racial discrimination at home.

Jakarta – Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Chairperson Abdul Manan says that the government is not ready yet to accept corrections from its citizens after it submitted an appeal against a court ruling ordering the government to apologise for blocking internet access in Papua in 2019.

Leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua Benny Wenda called for ordinary Indonesians to be "the voice of the voiceless" as he urged vigilance in the continued struggle for independence.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – The Indonesian government submitted an appeal against the Jakarta Administrative District Court's (PTUN) decision that found President Jokowi and Communication and Informatics Minister guilty of blocking the internet access in Papua and West Papua provinces in August 2019.

Jakarta – The Papuan Coalition for Upholding the Law and Human Rights is urging the police to stop criminalising the Papuan people through the makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) articles if they do not want the term political prisoner (tapol) to be used anymore in Indonesia.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The panel of judges at the Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan found seven Papuan political prisoners guilty of treason during the sentence hearing which took place on Wednesday June 17.

Febriana Firdaus – Seven Papuan activists have been found guilty of treason and sentenced to up to 11 months in prison for their involvement in anti-racism rallies in West Papua last year, a verdict that has been condemned by human rights groups.

Veronica Koman and Ronny Kareni – Over the past few months, a terrible injustice has been playing out in Indonesia's legal system: 56 black political prisoners put on trial for treason over last year's anti-racism protests in West Papua. For seven of those activists, Indonesian prosecutors had sought jail terms ranging from five to 17 years.

Apriza Pinandita, Jakarta – Four student activists from the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) in Papua were detained by the police for questioning on Monday while holding an open forum in the run-up to the verdicts in the trials of seven Papuans accused of treason.

Jakarta – The government must not continue its mistaken policies in Papua. Stop the violence and start the dialogue.

Hendrina DK, Rahmad Nasution, Jayapura, Papua – Some 816 police and military personnel are on standby in areas around Jayapura, Papua, as a precautionary measure against likely local protests over Balikpapan District Court's guilty verdicts against seven Papuan youths accused of treason.

The West Papua Action Aotearoa network and 109 signatories from churches, academia, community leadership and Pacific groups have sent an urgent open letter to Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters today calling for the release of the Balikpapan 7 who are a group of West Papuan political prisoners.

Virginia Langeberg – An Indonesian court is set to deliver its verdict in a high-profile trial of seven West Papuan men charged with treason over anti-racism rallies in Indonesia last year.

Indonesian prosecutors are seeking sentences of between five to 17 years in prison, accusing the men of orchestrating last year's demonstrations which swept across the country.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is calling for the release of seven Papuan defendants who are being tried on treason charges at the Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan.