Oleh Farid M. Ibrahim – Welcoming December 1, 2019 yesterday, activists from the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) and its supporters in a number of different countries held actions in which they brought and flew the Morning Star independence flag. Several activities were coordinated on social media through the hashtag #GlobalFlagRaising.

Jakarta – The Jayapura municipal police have declared 20 people accused of being Free Papua sympathisers as suspects on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion). The 20 are part of a group of 34 Free Papua sympathisers who were arrested by a joint team from the Jayapura municipal police on Saturday November 30.

Jakarta – The wife of Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta, Lucia Fransisca, says that her husband was treated differently from other patients when he underwent a medical examination at the prison clinic.

Jakarta – The Papua Advocacy Team, which is assisting six Papuan activists who have been charged for raising the Morning Star independence flag, say that police committed theft, not legitimate seizure during their client’s arrest. The team believes that the raids, seizures and arrests by police were illegal.

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Around 100 students from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) along with various other organisations held a protest action demanding a referendum for West Papua at the Gajah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Sunday December 1.

Rahmat Rahman Patty, Ambon – A protest action by scores of Papuan students calling themselves the Struggle Committee for Democracy and Human Rights in front of the World Peace Gong in Ambon City, Maluku, was broken up by police on Sunday December 1.

Jakarta – The Jayapura district police (Polres) have arrested 34 people for allegedly planning to celebrate the Free Papua Movement’s (OPM) anniversary on Sunday December 1.

Syahrul Ansyari, Foe Peace Simbolon – Metro Jaya regional police Public Relations Division Head Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus claims that there were technical errors in the document summoning them to appear as defendants in a pretrial suit submitted by six Papua treason suspects challenging their arrest for flying the Morning Star flag – the s

Jakarta – The Indonesian police have banned people in Papua from holding celebrations in the lead up to the anniversary of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) on December 1.

Eva Safitri, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud Md says that Veronica Koman has gone back on her promise to the Indonesian government. He says that Koman should return Indonesia to accept her scholarship obligations.

Jakarta – The handover of the investigation dossiers and the six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star independence flag to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari Jakpus) is seen as an attempt by police to avoid the pre-trail suit challenging their arrest.

Jakarta – On Monday November 18, the Metro Jaya regional police (Polda Metro Jaya) handed over six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in August to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari Jakpus).

Jakarta – The Papua Advocacy Team has protested the continued restrictions on access to six Papua activists who are being detained at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters (Mako Brimob) detention centre in Depok.

Jakarta – Scores of students from the United Student Front (FMB) held an action at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday November 11.

Walda Marison, Jakarta – The first pre-trial suit hearing involving Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta Ginting and five other Papua activists charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in late August has been postponed.

Jakarta – A representative of the Islamic-based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), Jazuli Juwaini, has asked Defense Minister (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto to pay more attention to missionaries or religious leaders in Papua.

Jakarta – The 2019 Press Freedom Index in Papua is still in the lowest position out of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. The Press Freedom Index for Papua stands at 66.56 or “slightly free”, or only one level above “almost free”.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

Wahyu Setiawan, Valda Kustarini, Jakarta – Amnesty International believes that resolving cases of human rights violations in Papua is more important than creating a new province. Amnesty Executive Director Usman Hamid says that this is not the right solution for Papua at the moment.

From an oped piece titled This is Bahasa Indonesia.