Churches in Fiji and the region are throwing their voices behind self determination for West Papua. Their support comes as the PIDF hosted Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at its second summit in Nadi last week. Indonesia has maintained rule in West Papua since 1969 and has in the past been accused of widespread human Read more
Church leaders attending a workshop, Rethinking the Household of God, which was held in the Solomon Islands at the beginning of June have agreed to actively support the struggle for political independence of the people of West Papua. The call comes a week before Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attends the Pacific Islands Development Forum Read more
Under pressure from Islamic extremists, a civil court in West Java, Indonesia, has revoked the building permit for a Catholic Church in Cibubur. The court president decided to revoke the permit to avoid sectarian violence. Continue reading
Last week Indonesia’s National police chief Sutarman said extremists may be planning terror attackson Christians at Christmas and New Year celebrations in Jakarta and other parts of the country. “The terrorists have cells everywhere and they are active. We are continuing to pursue them,” Sutarman, told reporters in Jakarta. Since 2000, when improvised bombs disguised as Read more
The recent drowning of hundreds of illegal migrants off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa has caused a stir, as spectacles tend to. But, really, this is no more than a freak occurrence. Like mass shootings in America or child abductions by strangers, it is a statistically insignificant event attached to an emotive story. Freak Read more
The Australian Government has denied forcing out three West Papuan activists who protested inside Australia’s consulate in Bali. The incident threatened to overshadow the Australian Prime Minister’s participation at the APEC summit, but Tony Abbott moved quickly to reassure his Indonesian hosts. Read more
Muslim hard-liners in Indonesia continued their protests against the Miss World pageant that is scheduled to take place this weekend on the resort island of Bali. About 1,000 members of the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia rallied outside the building housing the local organizer of the contest on Thursday. While chanting “Allah Akbar,” or God Read more
Indonesia’s religious affairs minister has called for the Miss World beauty pageant to be cancelled, as opposition in the Muslim-majority country mounts the week before the contest opens in Bali. Suryadharma Ali said that the organisers should follow the advice of the nation’s top Islamic clerical body, which last week called for the contest to Read more
Credible and disturbing reports are continuing to emerge from Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya, in the West Papuan highlands, detailing evidence of another violent rampage by the Indonesian army special forces (Kopassus) against civilians throughout May, allegedly by Kopassus officers stationed in the district which has been suffering war conditions since February. Continue reading Continue Reading Radio Read more
Human rights groups in Indonesia’s Papua province, and the Baptist Church in Jayapura say Melanesian children are still being removed from their families, and sent to Islamic schools in Jakarta. According to a six-month Good Weekend investigation children, possibly in their thousands, have been enticed away over the past decade or more with the promise of a free education.In Read more