Urgent Appeal General: AHRC-UAG-012-2008

Dear friends,

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has sent Minister Goff about the latest arrests in West Papua – following attempts by the people to join together to raise the Morning Star flag.

The Indonesian authorities must take immediate action to investigate the torture of Papuan prisoner Ferdinand Pakage, who is detained at Abepura Prison, Papua.

The leader of a group of 43 Papuan asylum seekers now living in Australia says he has concerns for the long-term safety of two Papuans who have returned to the Indonesian province.

[Submitted by the West Papua Advocacy Team and the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network for the hearing on Extracting Natural Resources: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of L

Two of the 43 Papuan asylum seekers at the heart of a diplomatic rift between Australia and Indonesia two years ago have returned to their homeland.

Markus Makur, Timika – The police have arrested 18 individuals for allegedly hoisting the separatist Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag Tuesday in Mimika Baru district, Mimika regency,

Just days after the Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon met with his Indonesian counterpart Juwono Sudarsono, 18 West Papuans are arrested in Timika for flag raising.

Timika – Eighteen men have been arrested after an outlawed separatist flag was raised in the Papua province, Indonesian police said Tuesday.

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM, has sent an investigation team to investigate the incident on 9 August which led to the death of Opinus Tabuni.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The raising of a Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag by Papuans should be considered an attempt to seek attention rather than an act of separatism, Defense Minist

Markus Makur, Timika – In a bid to prevent further bombings at copper and gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia, Papua Police on Wednesday disposed of bags suspected to contain explosives ne

Nethy Dharma Somba and Markus Makur, Jayapura, Timika – Members of the Papua Customary Council (DAP) on Wednesday demanded the Papua provincial police immediately solve the shooting of

Papuan nationalists have protested in Canberra against what they say is an occupation of Papua New Guinea territory by the Indonesian military.

Five Australians accused of illegally landing a plane in Indonesia's sensitive Papua province have been detained in a hotel for a fourth day on Monday, officials say.

Jakarta – A separatist group in Indonesia's Papua province claimed responsibility on Monday for a series of bomb attacks in the area and called for the closure of a controversial huge c

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed that five Australians have been detained by Indonesian authorities after illegally entering the sensitive province of Pa

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – A bomb exploded Sunday near an airport built by a US gold mining giant in Indonesia's restive Papua province, police said.

Repeated gunshots were heard seven hours before the blasts on Thursday night at a road in Timika, Papua, leading to a massive mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., t

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Two small bombs exploded early Friday on a road leading to a massive copper and gold mine in eastern Indonesia and a third unexploded mortar was found nearby,

The chairman of the MRP, Drs Agus Alua believes that the flag-raising incident that resulted in the shooting dead of Opinus Tabuni, a Papuan in Wamena was handled in a way that was in v

Analysts say a US federal court ruling involving energy giant Exxonmobil and Indonesia's military has major implications for international companies working in regions like Papua.

The Australia-based Mineral Policy Institute is urging all multi-national companies which pay for military protection of vital assets in Indonesia's Papua region to be transparent about

Indonesia's ambassador to Papua New Guinea has praised PNG's Government for blocking the West Papua issue from being raised in recent meetings of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and Paci

New Zealand Green party MP Keith Locke says Pacific Islands Forum countries like New Zealand could do more to push dialogue with Indonesia about West Papua.

Hayley J. Campbell, Jayapura – A New Zealand MP along with Human Rights Groups are calling on Pacific countries to confront Indonesia on human rights abuses in West Papua.

The Pacific Island Forum (PIF) has been urged to raise the human rights situation in West Papua with Indonesia.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) today welcomed the removal of Col. Burhanuddin Siagian from his command in West Papua.

The human rights situation in West Papua should be raised with Indonesia at the Post-Forum Dialogue in Niue, Joe Collins of AWPA said.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, or ETAN, has welcomed the removal of Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian from his command in Papua.

[Joint statement by Amnesty International USA, East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN), and the West Papua Advocacy Team concerning Congressional letter to President Yudhoyono

The Indonesian government should ensure proper accountability for the death of a peaceful protester apparently killed by a bullet fired by police in the country's restive region of Papu

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A traditional tribal community in Waigeo, Raja Ampat regency, in Papua, has questioned the government's decision to authorize nine mining companies to ope

Tom Hyland – New evidence has emerged linking the Indonesian military to the 2002 murder of two American teachers and an Indonesian colleague in a remote region of Papua, according to r

Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Jakarta – Opinus Tabuni, 35, was shot dead during a peaceful rally in the city of Wamena in the picturesque Baliem valley in the Indonesian province of Papua on A

Police rejected a request by six Papuan Tribal Council executives to allow UN staff to accompany them during an investigation into the hoisting of a separatist flag last week.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has insisted the police should thoroughly investigate a fatal shooting incident during the commemorat

Statement by ELSHAM-Papua, Yahamak (Institute of Basic Human Rights and Anti-Violence) and AMPTPI (Alliance of Students of the Central Highlands of Papua)

Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not respond to a letter from 40 members of US Congress demanding the immediate release of two Papuan activists, a spokesman

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has written to each of the Heads of Government of the Pacific Island Forum Nations (see letter below) ahead of their annual meeting next week.

The Australia West Papua Association in Sydney has written to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders who will meet in Niue on the 19 August for the opening of the 39th PIF Leaders Summ

Ed Davies and Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesia does not face any organised resistance to its rule in Papua and there should be a degree of tolerance responding to cases of banned sep

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – Several of the 43 Papuans who sparked a diplomatic crisis by seeking asylum in Australia want to return home, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wira

TAPOL wishes to express its deep concern about the death of a Papuan who was participating in the celebration of World Indigenous Day in Wamena on Saturday, 9 August.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A man was reportedly killed in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, during an event Saturday celebrating the International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Muh Syaifullah, Yogyakarta – The Yogyakarta District Attorney General's Office has seized 213 books titled "The Annihilation of Ethnic Melanesians: Breaking the Silence on the History o

Jakarta – A hardline Muslim group staged a rally outside the US embassy in Jakarta on Saturday to protest over a call by Washington for the release of two Papuan activists.

Nethy Darma Somba – The World Indigenous Day celebration in Papua province turned into a riot on Saturday after several members of local separatist group hoisted the Bintang Kejora (Mor

Jakarta – A man was killed in Indonesia's Papua province after police fired warning shots when a group raised a separatist flag at a ceremony, an official said on Saturday.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and TNI chief Gen.