Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – Journalists from Melanesian countries are urging the Indonesian government to put a stop to criminalizing journalism, following concerns about growing threats to media freedom in the country.

Jakarta – The government looks set to realize its plan to form two new provinces in Papua, or at least one of them, after hearing what it claims as "grassroots aspirations".

Jakarta – Indonesia plans to construct its first spaceport in Biak, Papua, to serve as the location of the country's rocket test launches, the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) has confirmed.

Karina M. Tehusijarana, Jakarta – Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Jazuli Juwaini has asked Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to pay closer attention to people entering Papua claiming to be missionaries.

Jayapura (Antara) – Papuan Customary figures demanded the government manage Lake Sentani like the management of Lake Toba in Medan, North Sumatra.

Jakarta – The Papua Advocacy Team has protested the continued restrictions on access to six Papua activists who are being detained at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters (Mako Brimob) detention centre in Depok.

Walda Marison, Jakarta – The first pre-trial suit hearing involving Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta Ginting and five other Papua activists charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in late August has been postponed.

Jakarta – A representative of the Islamic-based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), Jazuli Juwaini, has asked Defense Minister (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto to pay more attention to missionaries or religious leaders in Papua. He is claims to be concerned that these religious figures are actually carrying out a mission other than spreading religion.

Jakarta – Scores of students from the United Student Front (FMB) held an action at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday November 11.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – The National Police (Polri) announced they would put forth dialogue with Papua's religious and public figures ahead of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) anniversary on December 1.

"There will be no special security measure," said National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Mohammad Iqbal at the Polri criminal investigation agency's headquarters on Monday.

Jakarta (Antara) – Members of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission I asked for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to seriously handle the issues on Papua and West Papua.

House members from the Gerindra faction, Sugiono, maintained that the problems besetting the two regions not only involved security issues, but also those regarding people's welfare.

Laily R and Genta Tenri Mawangi, Jakarta – The first pretrial hearing of the suspects accused of treason, including the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-West Papua) spokesperson Surya Anta, was delayed by two weeks by the South Jakarta city court, Monday.

Moale James, Pacific Media Watch – "West Papuans are being denied their basic human rights... Human beings have a right to freedom. Freedom to be treated fairly like a human being. Freedom to be respected. To have your own dignity and pride. This is being taken away from West Papuans."

Jakarta – The plan to divide the province of Papua by establishing a new province in the southern part proves the inability of the central government to understand the roots of the problem there. This policy might satisfy a small number of the elite in Papua, but it will clearly do nothing to address the grievances felt by most of the people of Papua for years.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura – Papuan People's Assembly chairman Timotius Murib said on Wednesday that the assembly had rejected the government's plan to create two more provinces in the country's easternmost region.

Papua New Guinea Opposition leader Belden Namah has called on Prime Minister James Marape to take Indonesian atrocities in Papua and repeated border violations to the United Nations and make them international incidents requiring international conflict resolution mechanisms.

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has called on the public to beware of political propaganda aimed at inciting riots during commemorations of Free Papua Movement (OPM) anniversary on Dec. 1.

Johnny Blades – A controversial land sale in New Zealand has met with disapproval from the West Papua solidarity movement.

The government has decided to allow Japanese firm Pan Pac to purchase 22,000ha of land without any scrutiny from the Overseas Investment Office, or OIO.

Septinus George Saa, Birmingham, UK – In its second term, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's government should learn crucial lessons from the political actions taken in Papua and in the rest of the country, led by students.

Jakarta – The 2019 Press Freedom Index in Papua is still in the lowest position out of Indonesia's 34 provinces. The Press Freedom Index for Papua stands at 66.56 or "slightly free", or only one level above "almost free".

This was based on results of the 2019 Press Freedom Index survey which was presented by the Press Council in Jakarta on Monday November 4.

A new report alleges officials across Indonesia's West Papua have inflated population figures for personal gain.

The Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, or IPAC, is calling on the government to improve conditions ahead of next year's census.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

Wahyu Setiawan, Valda Kustarini, Jakarta – Amnesty International believes that resolving cases of human rights violations in Papua is more important than creating a new province. Amnesty Executive Director Usman Hamid says that this is not the right solution for Papua at the moment.

Jakarta – In a show of his care for Papua, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited the easternmost territory Monday for his first outing since assuming office for his second term on Oct. 20. He danced with native Papuans, opened a bridge and promised more infrastructure development to improve the wellbeing of the people there.

Jakarta – Indonesia is ready to establish a new province called South Papua in the country's easternmost territory, which is currently divided into the two provincial administrations of Papua and West Papua, a minister has said.

An international lawyers group has called on Indonesia to free West Papuan prisoners held for peaceful expression of their political views.

International Lawyers for West Papua has also raised concern that treason trials of six Papuan pro-independence activists have been moved to East Kalimantan.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Director executive of Lokataru Foundation Mufti Makarim opined that the government was still focusing on implementing the economic and infrastructure-based approach in Papua. Referring to the study results by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Mufti agreed that the core problem in the region was the absence of dialogue.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – A researcher of Papuan studies at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Aisah Putri Budiarti, assessed an approach based on infrastructure often implemented by the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to end the conflict in Papua was not effective as the method was too partial as the sole solution.

Jakarta (Antara) – Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD asserts that he will focus on cultural and humanitarian approach – without eliminating other approaches – in handling issues that arise in Papua.

President Jokowi has made another trip to West Papua, treating it as a holiday home whilst the Indonesian military kill and torture us like animals.

In 2014, during Jokowi's first election, I told BBC Indonesia that, 'president to president, there is never any change'. Jokowi's entire presidency has shown the truth of this.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Monday that he would consider a proposal for the establishment of a new province in the mountainous central part of Papua, albeit in a disapproving tone.

The request for a third province on the island came from community leaders and religious figures during a meeting with the president in Wamena, Papua.

Victor Mambor and Syofiardi Bachyul, Jayawijaya, Papua – In Wamena in Papua's Jayawijaya regency there is a customary belief that women and children are innocent, that's why the men have to protect them.

Victor Mambor Jayapura – Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited Papua province Monday to inspect destruction from an anti-Jakarta riot that killed dozens of people last month, as critics complained that he had failed to address human rights issues at the heart of the conflict.

Surabaya – A protest action by the United People's Struggle Alliance (APPR) to commemorate Youth Pledge Day at the East Timor governor's office in the provincial capital of Surabaya was joined by various labour and student organisations as well as protesters from the Surabaya Papua Student Alliance (AMP).

Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo will officially open a new $128 million bridge in Papua on Monday amid a renewed pledge to develop one of the country's poorest regions, which has seen a spike in unrest over perceived racial discrimination.

Jakarta (Antara) – Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said that Wamena refugees were ready to welcome and have a dialogue with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo today, Oct. 28.

Jakarta – On the last day of his three-day visit to the country's easternmost regions, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited Wouma Market in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, Papua and promised to quickly repair damage from last month's riots.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jayapura – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated the 732-meter Youtefa Bridge in Jayapura, Papua on Monday on the last leg of his three-day trip to Papua and West Papua.

Three people have been killed in Indonesia's restive Papua region with police saying the victims were civilians, while a rebel group that took responsibility said they were undercover intelligence officers.

An Indonesian lawyer being pursued by the state has won a human rights award for shining "a light on violations of the rights" of West Papuans.

Veronica Koman was awarded Australia's Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award on Wednesday at a ceremony in Sydney.

Tasha Wibawa – An outspoken lawyer wanted by Indonesian police has won a prestigious Australian human rights award for her work in exposing alleged human rights violations in West Papua at "great personal cost".

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award to Indonesian lawyer and human rights defender Veronica Koman for her courageous work in exposing human rights violations in the Indonesian Provinces of Papua and West Papua (referred to collectively as West Papua).

Reza Gunadha, Eleonora Padmasta Ekaristi Wijana – Lawyer and human rights activist Veronica Koman has been awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

The ACFID presented the award to Koman at its annual conference in Sydney on the evening of Wednesday October 23.

Alfian Rumagit, Rahmad Nasutio, Jayapura, Papua – The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Jayapura, Papua's capital city, expressed rejection to calls for jihad or fighting in the name of religion in connection with the recent Wamena rioting case that killed 33 innocent civilians.

Adam Prireza, Jakarta – Six Papuan activists who had been named suspects in the alleged treason by Jakarta Metro Police filed a pretrial lawsuit to South Jakarta Court today, October 22.

Their advocate team member Okky Wiratama explained there were violations of the legal procedure during the arrest, search, seizure of evidence, and the suspect naming.

Sydney – Veronica Koman, a human rights lawyer sought by Indonesian police over Twitter posts authorities blame for fanning unrest in the Papua region, has a tattoo on each wrist.

The first, inked when she was in her late teens and a fervent nationalist, reads simply "Indonesia" and, she says, meant that "Indonesia is running through my veins".

Walda Marison, Jakarta – On Tuesday October 22 a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) submitted a pre-trail suit against the Metro Jaya regional police over the arrest of six Papua activists who were charged with treason for flying the Morning Star independence flag in August.

Damien Kingsbury – After half a century of incorporation as part of Indonesia and following a period of generally declining violence in the half island of West Papua, the past year has seen a marked upsurge in Papuan-initiated violence. This increased violence appears to demonstrate that, even after so much time, anti-Indonesian sentiment is as strong as ever.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Indonesia has launched an international aid agency to strengthen its diplomatic relations in the region, but played down the role of Papua-related diplomacy in the fund.

Camellia Webb-Gannon – Last weekend, the Indonesian police took 43 West Papuan students into custody for allegedly disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an independence day celebration (an allegation the students deny).