Jakarta – On December 1, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Chairperson Benny Wenda declared Papuan independence. He did not make the declaration on Papuan soil but rather through a press release on the ULMWP's official website.
In the declaration, Wenda said that he will no longer submit to the constitution and Indonesian law and that Papua will have its own laws and constitution.
Protest actions took place in several cities around Indonesia on December 1 including in Jakarta, Yogyakarta (Central Java), Ternate (North Maluku) and Sinjai (South Sulawesi). The actions were launched to commemorate West Papua Independence Day.
But even before the actions were launched, security forces attempted to thwart them by blocking protesters, breaking up rallies and arresting demonstrators. The following are reports on the actions in Jakarta and Yogyakarta.
Surabaya – Protesters from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) held a demonstration commemorating the declaration of West Papuan independence at the Negara Grahadi building in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Tuesday December 1.
Jakarta – Scores of Papuans held a protest action in front of the Arjuna Wiwaha (Horse) statue on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Tuesday December 1. The action coincided with the day which is often linked to the commemoration of Papuan independence, December 1.
According to the State Research Institute a total of 124 candidate pairs affiliated with political dynasties will be running in the simultaneous election of regional heads on December 9.
The government’s determination to push ahead with the 2020 simultaneous regional elections on December 9 in the face of widespread public opposition and advice from health experts that it risks a new wave of Covid-19 cases is already starting to take its toll.
The number of sole candidates running in Indonesia’s regional elections has steadily increased in the past five years, election data has shown, leading to growing concerns that the upcoming polls might ruin the electoral system.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) have warned about potential vote buying in the upcoming
Jakarta – The head of the Papua Province Humanitarian Team for Cases of Violence Against Religious Figures in Intan Jaya Regency, Haris Azhar, has announced the results of their investigation into the shooting of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani who was allegedly shot by a rogue Indonesian military (TNI)
Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Asfinawati has cited a number of symptoms showing a rise in authoritarianism over the first year of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin’s second term in office.
Dipo Negoro and Leon Kastayudha – The Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation was finally enacted into law by the House of Representatives (DPR) on October 5.
Veronica Koman, Sydney – In response to the recent enactment of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation and the wave of demonstrations against the law across Indonesia, trade union representatives and activists held a solidarity action opposing the Omnibus Law in front of the Consulate General of the Rep
