The Indonesian government's plan to transform Merauke town, South Papua (Papua Selatan) Province, into a major centre for sugarcane plantations and bioethanol production has sparked significant controversy and legal disputes.

The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT), established in 1979 on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Peoples' Rights, and in compliance with its Statute, has opened a procedure to investigate the environmental impacts of development in West Papua and the human rights violations linked to those practices.

Stefan Armbruster, Victor Mambor and BenarNews staff – An unheralded visit to Indonesia's Papuan provinces by a leading Pacific diplomat has drawn criticism for undermining a push for a United Nations human rights mission to the region where pro-independence insurgents have fought Indonesian rule for decades.

The president of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has welcomed the launch of a new political front, urging support for this new initiative on the "roadmap to liberation".

Benny Wenda said the launch of the West Papua People's Liberation Front (GR-PWP) was a new popular movement formed to execute the national agenda of the ULMWP.

Jayapura – The Papua Human Rights Lawyer Association (PAHAM Papua) believes that the Indonesian Military (TNI) police headquarters (Puspom) appears to be covering up and has been silent about the legal process involving the 13 suspects in the torture of three Papuan civilians in Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province.

Duncan Graham – There's nothing profound about the Biblical quote; variations are embedded in many religions and cultures.

So it needs no prophet, seer or conman to make this prediction: After a war like the current one in Gaza has cooled, the survivors will be bent on revenge.

Livia K, Tegar Nurfitra, Jakarta – The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) visited Indonesia's Papua and observed that the easternmost region of the country is generally in a stable and conducive region, allowing its people's socio-economic activities run properly.

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – The leader of the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement or TPNPB-OPM Egianus Kogoya plans to release the Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens without political demands, a Tempo source said. The time for the release, however, remain unknown.

All parties, including Papuan rebels who took Phillip Mehrtens hostage, want the New Zealand pilot released but freeing him is "complicated".

In February 2023 Mehrtens, a husband and father from Christchurch, was working for Indonesian airline, Susi Air, when he landed his small Pilatus plane on a remote airstrip in Nduga Regency in the Papua highlands.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Sarjan Lahay, Jakarta – The Indonesian government plans to establish 2 million hectares, or nearly 5 million acres, of sugarcane plantations in the eastern region of Papua, home to the last great expanse of rainforest in Southeast Asia.

Victor Mambor and Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jayapura and Jakarta – Hundreds of residents in Indonesia's restive Papua region have sought shelter in a church after clashes between security forces and West Papua independence fighters left two insurgents, a soldier and a civilian dead.

The Centre for Climate Crime and Justice at Queen Mary University of London will host a Permanent Peoples' Tribunal on State and Environmental Violence in West Papua later this month.

Caleb Fotheringham – West Papua pro-independence supporters are calling Indonesia's condemnation of Israel hypocritical considering its occupation in Papua for 61-years.

The Indonesian government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President, has condemned the Israeli government's handling of the conflict in Gaza.

Djibril Muhammad, Timika, Papua – An army deserter who became a mercenary for a rebel group in Papua has been shot to death during a recent security operation, authorities said on Monday.

Denis Murib was killed after a joint operation of the military and the police raided a rebel stronghold in the Papua regency of Paniai.

AWPA condemns the latest Indonesian security force operation in the Bibida District, Paniai Regency which has resulted in more than 5,000 people from 15 villages in Bibida and Paniai fleeing their villages.

Jayapura – On June 14 the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) held a candlelight vigil in memory of the shooting and death of KNPB General Chairperson Musa Mako Tabuni at the site of the shooting at the Waena III State Housing Company (Perumnas) in Jayapura city.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to fully resolve the 2001 gross human rights (HAM) violations case in Wasior, Papua, which have been languishing for 23 years.

On 10 June 2024, the Papua Bali Student Community Student Association, in collaboration with IMMAPPA Bali and AMP KK Bali, organised a peaceful demonstration in Denpasar to support the indigenous Awyu and Moi tribes in their struggle to protect their customary lands and forests. The event was marked by a series of significant confrontations with local police forces.

Agus Pabika, Jayapura – The Papua Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has condemned the repressive actions by police against a peaceful protest by the Bali Papua Community Student Association (IMMAPA) and the Bali city committee of the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) on Monday June 10.

The recent slogan "All Eyes on Papua" emerged in response to the viral "All Eyes on Rafah" campaign on Instagram. Indigenous communities and the youth in Papua hope that this movement will foster real solidarity with Papuan issues.

Meirto Tangkepayung, Paniai, Papua – A group of Papua rebels fatally shot and burned a pickup truck driver in Paniai Regency on Tuesday, police said.

The joint security team known as the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force attributed the attack to a local rebel cell known for launching deadly assaults on civilian and military targets in recent years.

Larius Kogoya, Jayapura – Hundreds of protesters from the Central West Papua National Committee (KNPB) together with KNPB Sentani and KNPB Port Numbay held a solidarity action supporting a referendum and the liberation of Kanaky, New Caledonia, from French colonialism.

Elisa Sekenyap, Jayapura – Over the last two weeks, social media has been flooded with the humanitarian call embodied in the phrase "All Eyes On Rafah".

Jakarta – Alleged human rights violations in Papua that were among the commission's nine priority issues throughout 2023 continued to be a priority in 2024, National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Chairperson Atnike Nova Sigiro stated.

While delivering the 2023 Komnas HAM Annual Report, Sigiro remarked that the issue is still a priority in 2024.

Reiner Brabar, Sorong – Indonesian social media has been enlivened by the call "All Eyes on Papua" which has gone viral over the last few days and attracted an extraordinary amount of attention.

Antara, Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak said that the Indonesian Military's (TNI) decision to revert to the original term "OPM" (Free Papua Movement) from "armed criminal groups" (KKB) in calling the separatist group would impact their peacekeeping strategy. The military would not hesitate to take action if they see an armed person in Papua.

Indigenous communities in Kapiraya district, Deiyai Regency, Papua Tengah (Central Papua) Province, are actively protesting the operations of PT Zoomlion, a Chinese company, which entered the area in 2023 to extract gold with heavy machinery (excavators) without obtaining permits from either the customary right owners or the relevant government authorities.

Ni Kadek Trisna Cintya Dewi, Jakarta – The African Swine Fever (ASF) virus has been detected in pigs in Indonesia. Antara reported that the Papuan government, through the local Livestock and Plantation Office, has declared an emergency status for an outbreak affecting pigs in the local area.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A campaign calling for the protection of Indigenous peoples' customary forests in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua has gone viral, with the campaign's poster shared nearly 3 million times on Instagram.

Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo urged the Defense Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) to catch members of the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) who shot a soldier in Yahukimo, Papua Highland.

Bambang expressed his condemnation of the shooting incident and urged the TNI and Polri to take firm action against the KKB.

The local Government of Sorong Selatan Regency has officially recognized the indigenous peoples and customary territories of four sub-tribes in Konda District through a Regent Decree. The decree was presented by Regional Secretary on behalf of the Regent, Mr Samsudin Anggiluli.

Jayapura – Solidarity and support against the expropriation and destruction of customary forests in the land of Papua is broadening, with several groups, including soccer players joining in supporting the movement to save Papua's forests.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – The 'All Eyes on Papua' campaign has been trending on social media amid rampant land confiscation from indigenous peoples in Papua. A number of environmental activists from the Awyu tribe in Boven Digoel and the Moi tribe in Sorong came to the Supreme Court building in Jakarta.

A campaign seeking to drive support for Indigenous tribes fighting palm oil plantations in eastern Indonesia is spreading widely online after taking inspiration from an AI-generated image of Gaza.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Indonesia – Indonesia is going ahead with a project to convert millions of acres in Papua into a gigantic sugarcane plantation so the restive region can become self-sufficient in sugar and its related liquid fuel, bioethanol.

Antara, Bekasi – Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, has assured that the government will not harm local communities in Papua's development projects.

This includes plans for the conversion of traditional forest lands of the Awyu tribe in South Papua and the Moi tribe in Sorong, West Papua.

Sevianto Pakiding, Timika – Authorities have arrested an army deserter and a civilian for allegedly selling firearms to rebel groups in Papua, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Executive Director of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development or INFID, Iwan Misthohizzaman, stated that clearing customary forests in Papua by abusing state permits is an act of ecocide and a violation of human rights.

Defara Dhanya Paramitha, Jakarta – Amid the recent 'All Eyes on Rafah' campaign, a similar movement 'All Eyes on Papua' gains momentum on social media, calling for Indonesian people's attention to Papua. The hashtag #AllEyesOnPapua is widely used as a form of support for the Papuans who are struggling to reject the oil palm plantation project in the province

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – The regional police chief of Papua, Mathius Derek Fakhiri, warned investors not to violate the rights of Papua's indigenous people. Fakhiri hopes the problems faced by indigenous people, including the lawsuits of the Awyu Tribe in Boven Digoel, South Papua, and the Moi Tribe in Sorong, Southwest Papua, can be resolved soon.

Jakarta – The social media scene in Indonesia in the last few days has been filled with uploads of posters reading "All Eyes on Papua". This poster has been widely uploaded by residents as a form of support for the Papuan indigenous people, especially the Awyu and Moi tribes who are struggling to defend their customary forests.

Reiner Brabar, Sorong – Customary forests that have been a source of livelihood for the Awyu tribe in Boven Digoel regency, South Papua, and the Moi Tribe in Sorong regency, West Papua, are threatened with disappearing due to the clearing of land for palm oil plantations.

Jayapura – The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT), which was established in 1979 based on the Universal Declaration of People's Rights, and in accordance with United Nations statutes, has opened procedures to investigate the impact of development on the environment in West Papua and human rights violations related to these practices.

AKBP Bayu Suseno stated on 11 May 2024, that on that date at approximately 10:40 am, the Cartenz Peace Operations Task Force arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for the murder of Lieutenant Oktovianus Sogalrey, head of the Aradide Danramil 1703-4 post.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto said there are three provinces in Tanah Papua that are prone to security disturbances during the regional elections.

Three provinces that are prone to security disturbances from armed groups are Papua Mountains, Central Papua and Southwest Papua Provinces.

The arrest of Peni Petrus Pekei, also known as Petrus Pekei, by the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force Cartenz and the Dogiyai Police on 17 May 2024, has sparked controversy in Paniai, Central Papua.

Indigenous activists from the Indonesian province of West Papua have held traditional ceremonies outside the country's Supreme Court in Jakarta calling for their traditional land and forests to be protected from palm oil plantations.

Indonesia, West Papua – Reports received indicate that four students were injured by the police and one was arrested during a horizontal tribal conflict in Nabire, Papua Tengah Province on 27 April 2024.

Indonesia, West Papua – Intensified armed clashes between Indonesian security forces and members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in the Paniai since early May 2024 reportedly resulted in the temporary closure of the only general hospital in the regency.

A West Papuan independence group has condemned French "modern-day colonialism in action" in Kanaky New Caledonia and urged indigenous leaders to "fight on".