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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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).

Arjuna Pademme, Jayapura – The legal counsel team for seven suspects of treason case from Papua stated their clients are in good condition after a visit in Kalimantan Timur.

Arjuna Pademme, Jayapura – Laurenzus Kadepa, Papua parliament member from Politics, Legal and Human Rights Division, said Papuan peoples do not need an offer in the presidential cabinet of Joko Widodo for the period of 2019-2024. What they urgently need at the moment, he further said, is the state's attention to solve problems in Papua (Jayapura, 16/10/2019).

Haeril Halim – Indonesia's human rights commission called for a probe into scores of deaths in Papua on Friday after some of the deadliest violence in years swept the restive region.

Dozens were killed when riots broke out in Wamena city last month, with some victims burned alive when buildings were set ablaze, and others stabbed in the chaos.

Jakarta – Indonesia launched an international aid agency on Friday to strengthen its regional diplomatic relations, some of which have been strained by Jakarta's approach to the restive Papua region.

Jakarta – If the government is serious about finding the best solution to the Papuan problem, the communication and informatics ministry should support the endeavor by Facebook to rid the site of computer-generated propaganda about Papua.

Jakarta – Activist and human rights lawyer for Papuan affairs, Veronica Koman, has met with Australian parliamentarians in Canberra. She said that during the meeting she asked the government of the Kangaroo Country to play a more active role in ending the bloodshed in Papua.

Nindya Astuti, Jakarta – Regional coordinator of SafeNET, Damar Juniarto, suspects there are blatant attempts to suppress information regarding Papua as they deemed information from the region has been framed in inaccuracy.

Jakarta – Human rights lawyer Veronica Koman met with the Australian parliament's human rights subcommittee on Wednesday to speak with its members about the current situation in West Papua.

Agus Pabika, Jayapura – The way government handling the humanitarian conflict in Papua has become a spotlight. Many people think the government are being discriminative in handling Nduga refugees compared to refugees from Wamena.

Ahmad Faiz, Jakarta – Several leaders of immigrant communities in Papua visited President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at State Palace, Tuesday, Oct. 15. The head of South Sulawesi Community in Papua, Mansur, said their visit aimed to discuss the security situation post the riot last month.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The United States Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph Donovan met with leaders of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss various current issues, including the recent unrest in Papua and Indonesia's reaction to the repression of Uighur Muslims in China.

Five bodies have been found in the highlands of Indonesia's West Papua, with residents alleging them to be victims of a military attack.

Papuan news outlet Tabloid Jubi reports the bodies were found on Thursday in a village in Nduga regency, where violence has flared since last year.

Jakarta – United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) chairman Benny Wenda has called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to make good on his claim that he is willing to meet with pro-referendum Papuan leaders.

"I hope that Indonesia's President Jokowi is willing to sit down with me to discuss the future of West Papua," Benny tweeted on Sunday night.