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 Law before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.]

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.

The Indonesian government said Hana Gobay, from Merauke in Papua, and Yubel Kareni, from Serui, returned to Papua on Wednesday morning, accompanied by Indonesia's consul general in Melbourne, Jahar Gultom.

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, an act which carries a maximum penalty of death under the articles of sedition.

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.

Local police chief Jasim Hoda said several people unfurled the "Free Papua" flag early Tuesday in front of a house in Kwamki Baru village in the Mimika district.

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.

The team is composed of five members, headed by Joseph Adi Prasetyo. The team visited the location of the incident last week and has inteviewed witnesses as well as members of the security apparatus.

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 Minister Juwono Sudarsono said in Jakarta on Thursday.

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 near Freeport's power plant and water facilities.

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 Opinus Tabuni.

Opinus was shot dead during celebrations to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on August 9 in Sinapuk Square in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency.

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

About a dozen demonstrators, some wearing indigenous costume, chanted slogans and sang songs outside the Indonesian embassy against the alleged incursion.

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.

The two women and three men were arrested on Friday when they landed at Mopah airport in Papua's Merauke district after a flight from Australia in a light plane.

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 copper mine.

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 Papua.

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. No one was injured and there was little damage.

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., the police said.

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, police said. No one was injured and there was little damage.

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 violation of presidential decree 77 (PP 77) about the use of symbols. 'The intention of the President with PP77 was that it should be used persuasively,' he said.

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 court ruled that ExxonMobil has a case to answer in the suit over alleged killings and torture by Indonesian troops protecting the company's gas project in Aceh province.

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 the arrangements.

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 Pacific Islands Forum.

Bom Soerjanto made these remarks at a reception to celebrate Indonesia's 63 years of independence.

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.

This follows the apparent absence of any discussion about the troubled Indonesian region at last week's Forum leaders summit in Niue. The Papua problem has featured at most recent summits, including last year in Tonga.

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.

Last week, the Forum leaders summit met in Niue to address key issues among the Pacific island countries. Absent from those issues, was the continuing unrest and protests taking place in West Papua.

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

Joe Collins of the Sydney-based Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) told the Fiji Daily Post yesterday that the human rights situation in the Indonesian-ruled territory should be raised with Indonesia at the Post- Forum Dialogue.

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. Siagian faces two indictments in East Timor for crimes against humanity committed in 1999.

The human rights situation in West Papua should be raised with Indonesia at the Post-Forum Dialogue in Niue, Joe Collins of AWPA said. Indonesia is a Post- Forum Dialogue partner and here is a chance for the pacific island countries to express their concerns about the human rights situation in West Papua with Indonesia.

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 Papua, Amnesty International said.

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 operate in their region.

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 research by a US academic and an Indonesian investigative journalist.

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 August 9th.

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.

"The case has nothing to do with the United Nations," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira was quoted by Antara as saying here Friday.

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 commemoration of UN Indigenous People's Day in Wamena on Aug. 9.

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 said Tuesday.

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. IHRC is calling on the Forum leaders to prioritise the issue of Indonesian-ruled West Papua.

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 Summit.

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 separatist flags being hoisted, the defence minister said on Monday.

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 Wirayuda, who has offered to assist them.

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 of Violence in West Papua", published by PT Galang Press. The AGO seized the books because they were deemed to touch upon the issues of SARA (race, religion and tribalism).

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.

Some 100 members of Hizbut Tahrir massed outside the embassy with banners reading: "We are against US intervention in Papua."

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 (Morning Star) flag.

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.

Thousands of people had gathered in Wamena city to mark UN Indigenous Peoples' Day when the incident happened.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso were divided Friday in their responses to a request from US Congress members asking Indonesia to release two convicted Papuan separatists.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Some 160 former members of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) declared their allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia at a ceremony on Thursday attended by Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.

Washington – The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today congratulated U.S. congress members for their letter to Indonesian president, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urging him to work for the "immediate and unconditional" release of West Papuan political prisoners Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – At least 3,000 people mobilized by the Papuan Christian Communication Forum staged a rally in Jayapura on Monday, questioning the functioning of the special autonomy law.

They claimed the law had been in force for seven years, but that most indigenous Papuan people had not seen any improvement in their welfare.