Indonesian police and army units have conducted heavily armed security sweeps across Jayapura ahead of planned mass demonstrations by civil society organizations, including the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Indonesia’s annexation of West Papua. The raids began at 3am local time on April 30, after the new Papuan Governor Lukas Read more
Brothers and Sisters of one nation and one country of West Papua, who are now moving between and under trees, in the deep and wide forests of Papua, on the coastal areas, down the valleys and on the swampy areas, who are now fighting for our rights openly or in a clandestine manner, even to Read more
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully would not meet West Papuan freedom fighter Benny Wenda when he was in New Zealand last month even though the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta had recommended a meeting take place if Mr Wenda requested it. There have been numerous reports from West Papua about the voilent behaviour of the Indonesian military and Read more
To avoid the threat of closure, six Catholic schools in Indonesia have agreed to teach Islam to their Muslim students. A local ordinance in Blitar city, East Java, requires all Muslim students, wherever they might be educated, to be able to read and write verses from the Koran. A representative of the Islamic Anti-Discrimination Network Read more
The visit of Frederika Korain has opened up prospects for the further development of relationships between New Zealand and the Papuan people of Indonesian-governed West Papua. Frederika is a former staff member of the SKP (Justice and Peace) office of the Diocese of Jayapura, now studying in Australian National University in Canberra. She has been Read more
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken out against the Indonesian government’s continued persecution of religious minorities. Navanethem Pillay urged the world’s largest Muslim nation to translate universal human rights obligations into domestic law. Continue reading
The Central Body for the Fellowship of Baptist Churches has expressed alarm at the conduct of Indonesian security forces in Papua, according to a press release dated 01 November. Examples of crimes by the Indonesian security forces include: The bombing of the parliament Jayawijaya building on 1 September 2012 by OTK (Orang Tak Dikenal) the throwing Read more
Authorities in Banda Aceh have closed down nine churches and six Buddhist temples in the past week following mounting pressure from local Islamic groups, ucanews.com quoted rights groups as saying. All the religious sites are in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province in Sumatra where sharia law is implemented. “Priests were forced to sign a document agreeing Read more
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has withdrawn its investment of $1 million in Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold over allegations of human rights offences committed by security forces around the company’s controversial Grasberg mine in Papua. According to Papua New Guinea Mine Watch (PNMW) Freeport has been directly or indirectly responsible for gross human rights abuses Read more
Concern is growing among Christians in the province of Aceh, victims of a series of recent attacks by extremist groups or unknown assailants, reports AsiaNews. The violence against Christians in Aceh is worsened by the policy of local authorities who, instead of halting attacks, continue closing churches and prayer halls for the (alleged) lack of Read more