Mehulika Sitepu, Indonesia – Police used water cannons to disperse a rally by Papuan near the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Thursday December 1.

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) reports that 63 people have been arrested over the last nine days in West Papua. Most of those arrested are activists from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and the Regional People Parliament (PRD).

Public confidence in law enforcement took another dive this week after it was revealed that Labora Sitorus – a low ranking Papuan cop with US$119 million in bank accounts and sentenced to 15 years for illegal logging and hoarding fuel – had left the Sorong jail for medical treatment in March 2014 and not returned.

Mohammad Arief Hidayat, D.A. Pitaloka, Malang – As many as 30 Papuan students from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) in the East Java city of Malang held a protest action in front of the Malang Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Friday December 19.

Jayapura – The call by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) chairperson to boycott the July 9 presidential election in Papua has become a threat for Indonesia and West Papua.

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is calling on all West Papuan people from Sorong to Samarai to boycott both the legislative and presidential elections that will be held on April 9 and July 9.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura – A delegation of foreign ministers from Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG) member states will reportedly be visiting Indonesia in the next few days. The visit should have taken place last year.

Finalia Kodrati, Arie Dwi Budiawati – Papua National Solidarity (NAPAS) is demanding that the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the Attorney General’s Office fully resolve the alleged human rights violations that took place in Wasior and Wamena, West Papua, in [2001 and] 2003.

Elin Yunita Kristanti, Banjir Ambarita (Papua) – Hundreds of Morning Star flags of various sizes were flown when thousands of Papuans held a protest action to demand national independence for Papua in Manokwari, West Papua, on Tuesday May 1.

Manokwari – Thousands of Papuan civilians in Manokwari, West Papua, took to the streets on Tuesday August 2 to demand a referendum. The participants at the action are convinced that a referendum is the middle road to resolve the political status of West Papua.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – Support for the Aceh peace negotiations is strengthening. Acehnese non-government organisations have asked the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR) to support the negotiations between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Helsinki.

[The following is a statement issued by Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) on April 12 following reports of intimidation and violence by the military during the April 5 general elections in Aceh and West Papua.]

Jakarta, Kompas -- The Indonesian government has cited the armed separatist movement in Papua as one of three threats against the perpetuation of the nation’s existence within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).