Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo from the Golkar Party is asking the government to urge the United Nations to designate the Free Papua Movement (OPM) as a terrorist organisation.

Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla says it is not just the general public which has fallen victim to human rights abuses but the government has also been a victim of rights violations.

Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla says that the government has done all kind of things to reconcile with Papua including providing facilities as well as special policies for Indonesia’s Eastern-most region.

Ray Jordan, Lampung – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo insists that work on the Trans Papua road project will continue despite the recent shooting of construction workers in Nduga regency, Papua.

Widodo is asking that all infrastructure projects and Trans Papua workers always be accompanied by security personnel.

Jerome Wirawan – The case of the alleged abduction of 1,300 people in Mimika, West Papua last year is apparently not over yet. This week, as many as three people were shot dead by the TNI (Indonesian military) in an incident that the TNI claims was a shootout with an armed group.

Ramadhan, Winna Wijaya, Jakarta – On December 1 several groups held protest actions commemorating the declaration of West Papua’s independence and the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Lalu Rahadian, Jakarta – Vertical and horizontal conflicts in Papua province will not be resolved until the Indonesian government provides the Papuan people with an opportunity to determine their future through an international forum.

Jayapura – The Papua provincial government has explicitly refuted a statement by the Papua regional police chief that residents have been taken hostage by an Armed Criminal Group (KKB) in the villages of Banti and Kimbely near the PT Freeport Indonesia mine in Tembagapura district, Mimika regency.

Bambang Hari, Jakarta – An employee at the PT Freeport Indonesia gold-and-copper mine in West Papua, Aser Gobai has refuted information that a PT Freeport worker has been taken hostage by an armed civilian group.

Free Papua Organisation (OPM) spokesperson Sebby Sambon denies that his group has acted in a criminal manner by taking hundreds of local people hostage and raping them. According to Sebby, reports making such claims are just propaganda aimed at damaging the OPM’s struggle.