Australia's government has urged restraint by all relevant parties in West Papua amid ongoing unrest in the Indonesian ruled region.

The death toll from violence in the Papuan cities of Jayapura and Wamena on Monday hasrisen to 26. Violence erupted in both cities as Indonesian security forces cracked down on student protests.

Eka Kurniawan, Jakarta, Indonesia – In an ideal Indonesia, a Papuan man would live in Jakarta and become a civil servant. He would marry a Padang woman from western Indonesia. They would open a small restaurant and hire a young Sundanese woman. Their customers would be a mix of Javanese, Betawi and other ethnic groups.

Journalist organisations in Indonesia have condemned alleged discrimination towards their colleagues by police in West Papua.

Three leading journalists in Papua were prevented from covering a protest by university students in Jayapura on Monday.

James Massola and Karuni Rompies, Jakarta – Deadly violence has shaken the Indonesian province of Papua once more, with reports of people being burnt alive and stabbed to death amid fierce protests.

Bytamara Soukotta – Amid the loud yells celebrating freedom during the Indonesian Independence Day celebration last month, West Papuan students in Surabaya were attacked in their own residences by civilian groups as well as uniformed military. Apart from suffering physical wounds, the West Papuan students also endured verbal harassment, including being called "monkeys."

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto refused to establish a formal meeting with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). He opined such a meeting might be seen as the government's recognition for the group.

Robert Isidorus, Jakarta – At least a thousand residents of Wamena in Papua's Jayawijaya district have requested evacuation to the provincial capital, Jayapura, following Monday's riots that claimed the lives of 26 people, an official said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia today called for calm and an immediate cessation of violence from all sides following reports of clashes between protesters and security forces in at least two locations across Papua.Efforts over recent weeks of the Indonesian authorities to address the grievances and unrest have failed to quell tensions, and in some cases, may

Darmawan Triwibowo, Jayapura – On a Sunday evening, after considering various advice from colleagues, I decided to fly to Jayapura – just 10 days after violent protests rocked the city. There were friends to visit and people to meet to understand the current circumstances.

Twenty-nineteen is becoming the worst year in nearly six decades of illegal Indonesian occupation. Massacres and violence are being carried out as a direct result of the additional 16,000 Indonesian troops deployed since August. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights must visit West Papua now, and the Pacific Islands Forum must help secure this.

Papuan churches want Indonesia to withdraw troops as violence escalates in the disputed territory.

And they want the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently visit and see the human rights abuse in Papua – mainly by security forces and the military-backed armed civilian militia.

Marni Cordell and Kate Lamb – Graphic photos of the bloodied victims of what appear to be gunshot wounds have emerged after another day of violence in West Papua, which has seen at least 26 people killed and 70 injured.

At least 20 people have been killed in a fresh burst of unrest in Indonesian-ruled West Papua.

Violence erupted in both the provincial capital Jayapura and the main Highlands town Wamena yesterday.

Indonesia's military said at least 16 people died in Wamena after Papuan high school students took to the streets in protest over a racism allegation.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Calm has returned to Jayapura and Wamena in Papua on Tuesday even though the death toll from yesterday's riots had risen to 26, with more than 90 people injured, officials said.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said 733 students are still being detained at the Papua Police headquarters in Jayapura.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani, Jakarta – Dozens of Papua and West Papua Legislative Council (DPRD) members met with presidential chief of staff Moeldoko in discussing the current situation and aspirations from the people of Papua.

Maybrat DPRD member Ferdinando Solossa requested the central government to hold meetings with figures of separatist groups.

More than two dozen people have died in riots in Papua, authorities said Tuesday, sparking calls for an investigation into one of the bloodiest eruptions of violence to hit the restive Indonesian territory in years.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Unrest that broke out in Jayapura and Wamena in Papua Province on Monday has claimed the lives of at least 20 people, while dozens more were injured, officials said.

Antara & Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – A riot broke out in Wamena, the capital of the Jayawijaya district in Papua, on Monday morning after a crowd protesting ethnic and racial discrimination against Papuan students on the island of Java started burning some government buildings in the city, including the Wamena district head office, forcing local officials to close the Wamena Airp

Benny Mawel, Jayapura – Violent unrest broke out in Wamena, the main city of Jayawijaya regency in Papua, on Monday, with some senior high school students reportedly being attacked by security officers as they dispersed a protest.

Fresh unrest broke out in Indonesia's restive Papua region Monday as protesters burned down a government office and other buildings in Wamena city, according to an AFP reporter.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – East Java Police have officially put Veronica Koman, an Indonesian human rights lawyer and outspoken supporter of Papua independence, in its wanted persons list and submitted a red notice to Interpol to help capture her overseas, a police official said on Friday.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Papuan students studying in Jakarta have urged their fellow Papuans to return to their places of study across Indonesia, claiming that the government guarantees their safety.

Nur Hadi, Jakarta – The East Java Regional Police have named Veronica Koman as a suspect for provoking and distributing false information about the riots in the Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya. Veronica has also been put on the police most wanted list (DPO) as a fugitive.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – Indonesia has condemned a press statement issued by five independent United Nations Human Rights Council special rapporteurs in which they expressed serious concern over recent development in Papua.

Maire Leadbeater – It is somewhat of an irony that West Papua's recent uprising coincided with the twentieth anniversary of East Timor's vote on independence.

Pipit Maizier, Melbourne – Dozens of people stands in solidarity with West Papuans in front of the State Library Victoria on Saturday (14/09/2019) for calling the Australian Government to against human rights violations occurred in West Papua.

Jakarta (Antara) – Papua is an inseparable part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu emphasized on Wednesday. "Papua is an important part that is inseparable from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia," Ryacudu said while making his remarks in Babrongko Umandrow Village, Jayapura District, Papua.

Jakarta – A toddler and teenager were among three people killed in a gunfight between security forces and independence-seeking rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua region, the military said on Thursday (Sep 19).

Seven civilians have been injured during a shootout with rebels in West Papua, Indonesia's military says.

But a Papuan pro-independence military group claimed the civilians were shot dead by soldiers during the incident in the Central Highlands.

According to Indonesia's military, Papuan fighters attacked security forces in Puncak regency's Ilaga district on Tuesday.

Indonesia's government says it's working with the office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner to arrange access to West Papua.

The Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, last week indicated her office had been unable to secure permission from Jakarta to visit Papua region.

Febriana Firdaus, Jakarta – Indonesia's West Papua region has been mired in civil unrest since the middle of August, following police detentions and alleged racial slurs against ethnic Papuan students studying in the country's most populous island of Java.

By Max Lane

Executive summary

Tasha Wibawa – Indonesian police are threatening to ask Interpol to issue a red notice for pro-Papuan activist Veronica Koman, who is believed to be hiding in Australia, unless she reports to authorities by the end of today.

H. E. Joko Widodo
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta Pusat 10110
Indonesia

18 September 2019

Re: Condemn acts of racism against Papuans, order investigation into disproportionate use of force by police

Dear President Widodo,

Vanuatu and Solomon Islands have raised the issue of human rights abuses against West Papuans at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The two governments made a statement which also noted that Indonesia had not yet given access to Papua for the UN Human Rights Commissioner.

Over 2000 West Papuan university students have returned home from Indonesian cities since last month over safety fears.

Racist harassment of Papuan students in university dormitories in Javanese cities last month sparked weeks of widespread protests and unrest in Papua.

Wilpret Siagian, Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Chairperson Agus Kossay was arrested by a joint team from the Papua regional police on Tuesday September 17. Kossay has been declared a suspect for allegedly being the mastermind behind the riots in Jayapura on August 29.

United Nations experts have urged Indonesia to protect the rights of lawyer Veronica Koman who advocates for West Papuan rights.

They also urged Indonesia to protect people's rights to peaceful protest and those reporting on protests in West Papua, and to ensure access to the internet

Marni Cordell and Ben Doherty – The Australian government has refused to rule out handing over a Sydney-based lawyer who advocates for West Papuans to Indonesian authorities.

Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge, Jakarta – Massive demonstrations and riots in Papua are not the only pressing issues in Papua. After nine months of armed conflict in Nduga regency, hundreds of school-age children are still in the dark about the future of their studies.

Geneva – Indonesia must protect the rights of all people to peaceful protest, ensure access to the internet and protect the rights of human rights defender Veronica Koman and all others reporting on protests in Papua and West Papua, say UN human rights experts*."We call for immediate measures to ensure the protection of freedom of expression and address acts of harassment, intimida

A group of UN human rights experts has urged the government of Indonesia to protect the rights of activists advocating for more freedom in the country's West Papua and allow unrestricted access to information from the restive eastern region as rumblings for independence continue.

Police in Indonesia say they have arrested the Papuan activist Steven Itlay and uncovered a plot to stage more riots.

Massive protests flared across the Indonesian occupied Papua and West Papua provinces last month, in reaction to racist treatment of Papuan students.

Demonstrators called for independence from Indonesia and some protests turned violent.

A leading Indonesian human rights advocate has noted increased intimidation of rights lawyers representing West Papuans.

This comes amid a security forces crackdown in Papua following a surge of anti-racism and pro-independence protests and related unrest which left at least ten people dead.

Indonesia has told the United Nations that it has no intention of giving in to the demands of protesters for a referendum to be held in its troubled province of West Papua.

According to a report in CNN Indonesia, Indonesian Ambassador to the UN Hasan Kleib said this during a public debate in Geneva, Switzerland.

Jakarta – Around 20 Papuan students from the Javanese cities of Bandung, Malang and Yogyakarta have met with the family of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to discuss the current situation in Papua. The meeting was held at the residence of the late Gus Dur in Ciganjur, Jakarta, on Friday September 13.

Jakarta – Two international non-government organisations (NGOs), namely the Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) from Holland and the Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) from Canada, have written to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in relation to the prosecution of Veronica Koman.

Amanda Hodge and Chandni Vasandani in Jayapura and Papua – In streets heavily secured by fresh contingents of Indonesian police and soldiers this week, those hit by recent violent protests and rioting in the provincial Papuan capital of Jayapura have begun rebuilding.

Jakarta – Papua Student Alliance (AMP) lawyer Veronica Koman has finally spoken out about being declared a suspect by the East Java provincial police for inciting an incident at the Papuan student dormitory in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya in August.

Nur Hadi, Surabaya – The East Java Police claimed to have found suspicious transactions in the bank accounts of human rights advocate Veronica Koman, a suspected spreader of provocative contents during the Papua riots. The police said there were big withdrawals in the conflicted area.