Thursday, January 31, 2019

1) Push for change in PNG's West Papua policy announced


2) Improper spatial planning behind forest dispute, says activist
3) Truth and Reconciliation Commission might not be working in resolving human rights violations in Papua
4) Freeport Divestment: A Tale of Losses and Waste
5) Governor’s objection to Freeport not be regarded as a political decision

6) Freeport’s tax debt affects Papuan Regional Budget 2019
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1) Push for change in PNG's West Papua policy announced
about 1 hour ago
The Free West Papua Movement has held a rare press conference in Papua New Guinea to call for international action on the conflict in Indonesian ruled Papua.


Highlands-based Defense Region Command of the West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB. Photo: TPNPB

Representatives of the movement's armed wing, the West Papua Liberation Army, gave an update about its conflict with Indonesian security forces in Papua's central Highlands.
Together with people from PNG's civil society, they also discussed West Papuan independence aims.
While PNG's government supports Indonesian control of Papua, MPs at the conference said there was a need to change the policy to help resolve the conflict.

The NBC journalist Rose Amos says the Governor of PNG's National Capital District, Powes Parkop, was among them.
"Governor Parkop announced that he is working on a submission to move motion in parliament for a change in the (government) policy because he says PNG government's existing policy between PNG and Indonesia is still in," Rose Amos said.
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2) Improper spatial planning behind forest dispute, says activist
Published 2 days ago on 30 January 2019 By pr9c6tr3_juben
Jayapura, Jubi – A representative of the Indigenous Peoples Coalition Emanuel Gobay said improper regional spatial planning might a factor that cause many disputes of timber and forest management in Papua.
Besides the implementation of spatial planning often differed from it should be, it was also not involving indigenous peoples in its preparation.
“As a result, it is often the indigenous lands (forests) acknowledged as the property of timber companies. We hope that in the future indigenous peoples will be involved so that they will be able to speak about their rights,” said Emanuel Gobay in the discussion on the forest issues that held in the room of Papuan Parliament on Friday (25/1/2019).
Moreover, he said that sometimes regulations could be overlapping one to another. Therefore, he urged the government to revise the existing regional regulation about spatial planning, or at least review it.
Meanwhile, regarding the spatial planning, Papuan legislator John NR Gobay said he would communicate with the Regional Development Planning Agency of Papua.
“Well, it’s because if we talk about the spatial planning, it’s a scope of the Regional Development Planning Agency. And what becomes a problem now is there is no NSPK (norm, standard, procedure and criteria) issued yet,” said Gobai. (*)
 
Reporter: Arjuna pademee
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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3) Truth and Reconciliation Commission might not be working in resolving human rights violations in Papua
Published
  
on
 


Jayapura, Jubi – A human rights activist in Papua Iwan Niode said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission might be not useful in resolving the human rights violations in Papua due to the absence of regulation.
In the workshop ‘the settlement of Human Rights Violations in Wasior 2001 and Wamena 2004: “Opportunities and Challenges”‘ held by the Papua Democracy Alliance on Thursday (24/1/2019), Niode said the Constitutional Court had cancelled the Regulation No 27 of 2004.
“This is understandable why such a plan to resolve the human rights violations cases via the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has stopped until now. Although the Special Autonomy Law indeed recommended it, there is no specific regulation supporting the TRC to conduct its task,” said Niode.
Moreover, Niode said the TRC should not only support the human rights victims to speak but also to cover the whole stories of both sides, victims and perpetrators. That makes the resolution through the TRC never been successful.
Meanwhile, a lecturer of International Relations of the Faculty of Social and Politics Science of the University of Cenderawasih, Elvira Rumkabu, thought that besides it needs the judicial process enforcement, the settlement of human rights violations in Papua also need to bring justice to the victims, how they can get their rights for justice.
“If this injury remains not cured, it would spread anywhere towards many issues. The issue of personal identity, for example,” said Rumkabu. (*)
 
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Pipit Maizier

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4) Freeport Divestment: A Tale of Losses and Waste
31 January 2019 19:52 WIB
TEMPO.COJakarta - Wrapped up in the spirit of nationalism, now we know that the Freeport’s share divestment was a very costly one. After having to shell out Rp55.8 trillion to acquire 51.23 percent of the shares, the government now must deal with the massive environmental damage caused by improper management of tailings or mining wastes. 
According to the findings of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) released in 2017, the losses from the environmental damages totaled Rp185 trillion. The destruction was resulted by the substandard tailing storage management along the Ajikwa river in Mimika regency, Papua. The high costs of the losses include Rp10.7 trillion at the upstream area, Rp8.2 trillion at the estuary and at Rp166 trillion at the Arafura sea. The company committed a serious violation when the tailing storage which is restricted to just 230 square kilometers in the upstream area encroached into the estuary. 
Unfortunately for the government, it did not tackle the issue when the gold mine was still controlled by Freeport-McMoRan, which should have been slapped with heavy sanctions. It also failed to use the issue as a leverage to get a better deal. The problem that was swept under the rug for years now has become a huge and costly environmental threat. 
Freeport has deposited mining waste in Ajikwa river’s upstream basin since 1995. With the daily capacity of 300,000 tons, it produces around 230,000 tons of waste, according to the audit agency. This is plausible since only 3 percent of the all the earth that was excavated and processed contains minerals and most of the rest is disposed. The excessive tailing waste severely polluted the river, the forests and sago fields. The locals also found themselves isolated as a result. 
The locals living around the mine may have been contented with the inducement money given by the mining company. Freeport actively gave away yearly religious donation of around Rp85 billions which was distributed via the Papua regional government, the Mimika provincial government and tribal organizations. 
Now that the majority shares have been taken over through Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (Inalum), the government must be prepared to bear all the consequences. It must prove that Inalum is capable of managing the waste better. The company must prevent further environmental damage. The environmental management road map agreed upon between the environmental ministry andFreeport must be thoroughly implemented. 
The most pressing issues that need to be addressed immediately include the reduction of non-tailing sediment in the mining areas and the construction of new dikes at the reservoir to put the lid on tailing spills. 
From the environmental aspect, it makes sense if production is decreased to reduce tailing but economic calculations give a different result. If the production decreases, the state’s income will also plummet. It seems an unlikely solution at a time when the government needs to prove that the investment in the share divestment can be recouped soon. The government must now resolve all issues without blaming other parties and make sure that such environmental disasters will not recur in the future.
Read the complete story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
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5) Governor’s objection to Freeport not be regarded as a political decision
Published
  
on
 



Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan Parliament member of Commission I Yonas Nusy expect people do not regard the Papuan governor’s decision to object the letter of the Environment and Forestry Ministry on the recommendation of 1000 hectares of lands to Freeport for mining exploration from the political perspective.
“The governor’s decision should not be regarded as a political objection, but it’s more to his attempt to protect the protected forest area and Lorentz National Park,” said Nusy on Wednesday (23/1/2019).
Besides, according to him, the expansion of Freeport’s mining exploration areas should be further discussed with the customary landowners. “Even though Papua is part of Indonesia, this land (Papua) is the land of indigenous. Therefore, its customary law should be respected,” he said.
Meanwhile, Papuan Regional Secretary Herry Dosinaen said about Papuan Governor’s response on the ministry’s letter to permit 1000 hectares of land for Freeport’s mining area concession.
“Last time they asked for 2800 hectares, and now more 1000 hectares. But the governor refused it,” said Dosinaen.
He said the reason behind this objection is because the area is part of the forest conservation area and Lorentz National Park that is protected by the government. (*)
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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6) Freeport’s tax debt affects Papuan Regional Budget 2019
Published
  
on
 



Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan Primary Regional Budget (APBD) 2019 reportedly decreased to IDR 13.9 trillion from IDR 14.142 trillion last year due to Freeport’s tax debt on the water surface.


Papuan Provincial Secretary Hery Dosinaen said the tax debt affected the decline of provincial income that then droved to the decrease of the total revenue of the main provincial budget.
“Provincial revenue has decreased because we cannot meet our target due to the delayed tax payment by Freeport,” said Dosinaen in Jayapura.
However, the provincial government said they would not negotiate with the company about this late payment. Further, the governor refused Freeport to pay their tax based on goodwill but their income and profits. “This has caused the out-target payment. Even the plenary to discuss the water surface tax 2017-2018 is still running until now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the First Vice Chairman of Papua Parliament Edoardus Kaize said Papua Provincial Budget 2019 consists more than IDR 895.8 billion in local incomes, more than IDR 4.4 trillion in a balanced fund, and IDR 8.6 trillion in net revenue.
“However, the regional expenditures were more than IDR 13.8 trillion consisted of IDR 6.6 trillion of indirect expenditures, IDR 7.2 trillion of direct expenditures and IDR 50 billion of budget surplus,” said Kaize. (*)
 Reporter: Alexander Loen
Editor: Pipit Maizier
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1) Papuans get independence petition to UN despite obstacles


2) How a West Papuan activist snuck into a UN meeting to deliver a direct message to Michelle Bachelet
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1) Papuans get independence petition to UN despite obstacles
By STEPHEN WRIGHT, ASSOCIATED PRESS JAKARTA, Indonesia — Jan 31, 2019, 1:02 AM ET



In this photo released Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, an exiled leader of Indonesia's Papua region, Benny Wenda, second left, presents a petition to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, second from right, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland. Activists in Indonesia's mountainous jungle-clad Papua region risked imprisonment to collect 1.8 million signatures for a petition calling for self-determination and succeeded in delivering it to the U.N. last week after being rebuffed in 2017. (The United Liberation Movement for West Papua via AP)


Activists in Indonesia's mountainous jungle-clad Papua region risked imprisonment to collect 1.8 million signatures for a petition calling for self-determination but had a final dilemma: They were blocked from presenting it to the intended recipient, the United Nations.
An attempt to present the petition in 2017 to the U.N. committee responsible for monitoring the progress of colonized territories toward independence was rebuffed. The chairman of the committee said it couldn't be accepted because Papua was not part of its mandate.
Highlighting the risks of the endeavor, an activist promoting the petition was arrested by Indonesian authorities in 2017 and sentenced the following year to 10 months in prison. He was arrested again this month along with several others who face treason charges.
Last week they succeeded, aided by the diplomatic equivalent of a wink and a nod from the tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which has been championing the Papuan cause.
Vanuatu officials had a scheduled meeting last Friday in Geneva with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. Among them was an exiled Papuan leader, Benny Wenda, who presented the voluminous petition to Bachelet.
"During this meeting, one member of the Vanuatu delegation, Mr. Benny Wenda, presented the high commissioner with a petition. This was not actually a meeting arranged with Mr. Wenda for that purpose," said Ravina Shamdasani, deputy spokeswoman at the U.N. Human Rights Office.
Bachelet "was not aware" in advance, she said.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua sent The Associated Press a photo of Wenda passing the petition to a smiling Bachelet.
Indonesia reacted angrily, accusing Vanuatu of "taking manipulative steps through the infiltration of Benny Wenda into the Vanuatu delegation."
An insurgency has simmered in Papua since the early 1960s when Indonesia annexed the region, which had remained under Dutch control following Indonesia's 1945 declaration of independence from the Netherlands. Last month, rebels killed 19 people working on a construction site for a trans-Papua highway in the deadliest attack in years. The Indonesian government denies 20 Papuans were killed in reprisal security operations.
The government says the territory is rightfully its under international law because it was part of the Dutch East Indies empire that is the basis for Indonesia's modern borders.
But Papuans, culturally and ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia, say they were denied the right to decide their own future. Indonesian control was formalized in 1969 with a U.N.-supervised referendum in which little more than 1,000 Papuans were allowed to vote in an atmosphere of heavy intimidation.
Today the region is divided administratively into two provinces, Papua and West Papua, but supporters of independence call the entire region, which makes up the western half of New Guinea, West Papua.
The petition makes several demands of the U.N., including calling on it to review its involvement in the "unlawful annexation" of Papua, to appoint a special representative to investigate the human rights situation, to reinstate Papua on the decolonization committee's agenda and to conduct an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination.
"Indonesia's fake referendum included less than 0.2 percent of the population in 1969. The West Papuan People's Petition of 2017 has 70 percent of the population," Wenda, who is head of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, said in a statement.
"Indonesia's entire claim to West Papua rests on what happened in 1969. That claim is destroyed now," he said.
He said he and others are "working day and night" to bring the petition to the U.N. General Assembly.
Indonesia's mission to the U.N. said Vanuatu had "deliberately deceived" Bachelet. It said Indonesia "would never retreat to defend and protect" its territorial sovereignty.
The U.N. reiterated previous statements it has made about Papua. Indonesia in February last year agreed that a U.N. rights delegation could visit Papua, to which Jakarta tightly controls access, but no visit has taken place.
Shamdasani said Bachelet informed the Vanuatu delegation that the U.N. Human Rights Office "has been engaging with the Indonesian authorities on the issue of Papua, including the prevailing human rights situation, and has requested access to Papua."


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2) How a West Papuan activist snuck into a UN meeting to deliver a direct message to Michelle Bachelet

UPDATED 9 MINS AGO BY LIN EVLIN

video footage

The Indonesian government has condemned Vanuatu for enabling exiled West Papuan independence leader to meet the United Nations human rights chief.

Indonesia’s Ambassador to the UN, Hasan Kleib, has strongly condemned Vanuatu for helping exiled West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda to meet with UN officials during one of its periodic review meetings.
“(They) deliberately deceived the High Commission by taking manipulative steps through the infiltration of Benny Wenda into the Vanuatu delegation,” he says.
Mr Wenda, on behalf of an independence movement in Indonesia's West Papua province delivered a petition with 1.8 million signatures demanding an independence referendum to UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday.

In September 2017, Mr Wenda, chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), sought to deliver the petition to the UN’s decolonisation committee but was blocked, with the committee saying West Papua was outside its mandate.
The committee’s chair, Rafael Ramírez, said at the time the mandate extended only to the 17 states identified by the UN as “non self-governing territories”.

'Historic day'

Indonesia has agreed in principle to allow the office of the United Nations human rights commissioner into Papua region, or West Papua.
Mr Wenda described the day as historic for himself and his people.
"I handed over what I call the bones of the people of West Papua, because so many people have been killed."

He said West Papuans had no freedom of speech or assembly and the only way to be heard was through the petition, signed by almost three-quarters of the 2.5 million population.
“I think this was the first time in history of UN, (Michelle Bachelet) was really surprised seeing that petition very big, contain 40 kilograms.
"She will continue to look at this and we request that from the people of West Papua, we're asking for a new referendum,” he told SBS News
Since Indonesia’s annexation of the former Dutch colony and a widely discredited UN referendum in the 1960s, thousands of lives have been lost and Indonesia has been regularly criticised for human rights abuses.
Tensions have escalated after rebels recently killed at least 17 people working on a 4,000 kilometre highway through the Papua provinces, a signature infrastructure project of Indonesian president, Joko Widodo.
In response, Indonesia launched a military crackdown in the region, leading to several deaths and thousands of people allegedly being displaced after they fled into the jungle.
Today, at an international press conference organised by the Free Papua Movement, the political wing of the Movement for the first time took a united stance with its military wing, acknowledging an ongoing war with Indonesia.
However, it stated its desire to seek a lasting peaceful solution through negotiations with Jakarta.
With Reuters
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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Indonesia Commits to Invite OHCHR on Papua Visit


 Indonesia Commits to Invite OHCHR on Papua Visit

Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha   
Editor: Laila Afifa 
30 January 2019 22:17 WIB


TEMPO.COJakarta - The Indonesian Government is committed to inviting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on a visit to Papua to show the actual condition of the region.
“The Indonesian government continues to commit on inviting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, represented by the Bangkok regional headquarters to visit the region of Papua,” said Ambassador Hasan Kleib in a text message on Wednesday, January 30.
This statement follows news from the OHCHR stating that it still awaits for the official invitation and request to access Papua on a humanitarian observation.
According to Ambassador Hasan Kleib, the official invitation was directly sent to Zeid al Hussein who serves as UN high commissioner who paid a visit to Indonesia last year.
Hasan maintains that the visit is not a question of ‘waiting for an official invitation or requesting access’ but is more of finding the agreed schedule to conduct the visit to Papua.
ANTARA

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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

1) Indonesian Government Considering further Military Involvement in Papua


2) Why nearly 2 million people are demanding an independence vote for West Papua province
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1) Indonesian Government Considering further Military Involvement in Papua

30 JANUARY 2019 Jarryd de Haan, Research Analyst, Indian Ocean Research Programme

Armed rebels in the Indonesian province of Papua were involved in a gunfight on 28 January with the Indonesian Military (TNI) at an airstrip at Mapenduma in the Nduga Regency. A Chief Private of the TNI was killed and two soldiers were injured. In response to the incident, Chief of Presidential Staff and former Commander of the TNI, Moeldoko, told media that the government will reassess the current approach to Papua, possibly hinting at greater involvement of the TNI. The incident follows a recent flare-up in tensions with the arrest of hundreds of Papuans and reports of 19 to 31 victims, most believed to be construction workers, killed by a group of armed separatists, as covered in a previous Strategic Weekly Analysis. Indonesian police and military also recently took overWest Papua National Committee headquarters in Timika, Mimika Baru district, Papua, removing insignia and banning its use for all Papuans.
Comment
Following the recent gunfight, Moeldoko told media (in Bahasa Indonesia) that the government needs to re-assess how it categorises separatists in Papua. According to Moeldoko, the government categorises the recent assailants as armed criminal groups (kelompok kriminal bersenjata – KKB) putting them primarily under the jurisdiction of the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) and making it difficult for the TNI to get involved. Moeldoko instead suggests that the government categorise the perpetrators as separatists, arguing that the TNI would then need to be involved more strongly to ‘crush the groups’.

There is a strong history of violence that stems from independence movements within Papua and West Papua and the Indonesian government’s efforts to suppress those movements have often been associated with human rights abuses. Currently, both Papua and West Papua have been granted special autonomy status, which gives increased powers to local governments, but there are still elements that seeking complete independence. On 25 January 2019, a petition signed by 1.8 million West Papuans was delivered to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights seeking a referendum on independence.

Increasing the involvement of the TNI in the Papuan and West Papuan provinces will draw strong opposition from world leaders fearing escalating tensions and possible human rights abuses in the region. Currently, the TNI is allegedly limited to hunting down armed groups in Papua that have already carried out acts of hostility, while the police are freer to carry out security operations. Looking deeper, however, the TNI maintains a strong background role in security operations and, with twice as many personnel and vast intelligence networks, perhaps has more influence than POLRI through those operations.[1] Granting further jurisdiction to the TNI, therefore, may not bring any drastic changes to current security operations within Papua other than allowing the TNI to be the face of the operations. What it may change, however, is a more open military presence that could be used to intimidate and threaten separatist groups. That course of action, however, will likely only antagonise those groups and perhaps deepen discontent among the public.

That raises questions as to why Moeldoko argued that the TNI should play a stronger role, and whether or not the Indonesian government will genuinely look into it as a possible option. It is worthwhile noting that similar comments (in Bahasa Indonesia) were made by the Indonesian Minister of Defence, Ryamizard Ryacudu, on 4 December 2018. That suggests that there could be ongoing discussions on the TNI’s role within the military circles of the current government. The recent comments, therefore, likely have their roots in the TNI’s ongoing struggle to regain the influence it lost as Indonesia transitioned into the democratic era.
Granting further powers to the TNI is not out of character for the current government headed by Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who allegedly maintains a close relationship with TNI Commander Hadi Tjahjanto. On 13 May 2018, Jokowi revived Koopsusgab, an anti-terror unit led by the TNI while there was already a well-established anti-terror unit headed by POLRI. The pressure to raise the military presence in Papua will likely continue to grow, especially if the frequency of attacks on TNI and POLRI personnel increases.
[1] Antonius Made Tony Supriatma, ‘TNI/Polri in West Papua: How Security Reforms Work in the Conflict Regions’, Indonesia, no. 95 (April 2013), pp. 93-124.
Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International.

 Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd. 

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2) Why nearly 2 million people are demanding an independence vote for West Papua province

By Tasha Wibawa Posted about 8 hours ago
Earlier this week, a petition signed by more than 1.8 million people calling for an independence referendum in Indonesia's West Papua province was delivered to United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

Benny Wenda, chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), said he hoped the UN would send a fact-finding mission to the province to substantiate allegations of human rights violations.
"Today is a historic day for me and for my people," Mr Wenda said after the meeting in Geneva.

Local media reported Indonesia's Minister for Defence, Ryamizard Ryacudu, told Parliament: "[They're] not allowed independence. Full stop."
The embattled Indonesian province has had a decades-long independence struggle, with its identity torn between several conflicting stakeholders.
Here's a look at where West Papua is, the problems it faces, and how things might turn out in the future.

West Papua and Papua New Guinea … what's the difference?



West Papua and Papua, often referred to collectively as West Papua, are the easternmost provinces of Indonesia and their acquisition has been the cause of controversy for more than 60 years.
West Papua shares its borders and cultural ethnicity with Papua New Guinea, but while PNG was colonised by the British, prior to German and Australian administration, 
West Papua was colonised by the Dutch, setting it on a different course.
According to the Indonesian Centre of Statistics and the World Bank, West Papua's regional GDP per capita is significantly higher than the national average, mainly due to mining.
However, it is also the most impoverished region in the country with the highest mortality rates in children and expectant mothers, as well as the poorest literacy rates.

What is happening now and what is the history?




Control of West Papua was agreed to be transferred to Indonesia from the Dutch with the assistance of the United States government as a part of a US Cold War strategy to distance Indonesia from Soviet influence in 1962.
Prior to this, Australia had also supported the West Papuan bid for Independence, but backtracked due to a Cold War security logic to minimise 'the arc of instability'.

The Netherlands and Indonesia signed the New York Agreement, which would place Indonesia under UN Temporary Executive Authority until a referendum that would allow all adult West Papuans to decide on the fate of their independence, called the Act of Free Choice.
But in 1967, the Indonesian government signed a 30-year lease with US gold and copper mining company Freeport-McMoran to start mining in the resource-rich region, prior to the referendum.
Two years later, according to historians, a number of men were handpicked to vote under the monitor of the Indonesian military and voted unanimously to remain under Indonesian rule. It has since been dubbed the "Act of No Choice" by activists.

Indonesia and its representatives at the UN have since repeatedly rejected claims of human rights abuses in the region and demands for another referendum, saying the allegations have been spread by "Papuan separatist movements".
Clashes have occasionally broken out. In December, Indonesian police claimed independence supporters killed 19 people working at an Indonesian-owned construction company.
On Monday, the Indonesian military said separatists opened fire on an aircraft carrying military personal and local goverment officials, killing one soldier.
But verifying any information is difficult because of restrictions on press freedom and the remoteness of the location.
In 2015, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced he would open the region to foreign journalists following decades of media blockades and bureaucratic red tape, but a series of statements by foreign journalists suggests otherwise.

'Cultural genocide' or separatist exaggeration?


A 2004 report from Yale Law School said the Indonesian government had "acted with necessary intent to … perpetrate genocide against the people of West Papua", a claim the Indonesian government has strongly denied.
Activists have been imprisoned for displaying the West Papuan pro-independence Morning Star flag, and say they face discrimination and are subject to violent attacks for expressions of political views.
There have also been a number of military crackdowns that have been referred to by Human Rights Watch as "high priority" human rights abuse cases.
The number of insurgencies in the region has declined as the Papuan indigenous population halved due to government policies of transmigration.
The late West Papuan academic and activist John Otto Ondawame described the situation as "cultural genocide".
Transmigration refers to the government resettling Indonesians from high-population regions to low-population areas, which was formally ended by Mr Widodo in 2015.
The program was deemed controversial by analysts as it involved permanently moving people from densely populated areas of Java to sparsely population regions such as Papua.
It has been criticised as causing fears of the "Javanisation", or "Islamisation" of Papua, resulting in strengthened separatist movements and violence in the region.

How might things play out now?


It's hard to say.
In 2017, Mr Wenda said he had presented a similar petition with the signatures of 1.8 million peopledemanding a vote on independence to the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation, although it became unclear whether the decolonisation committee actually received the documents.
This time, Mr Wenda was accompanying a ni-Vanuatu delegation in Geneva and reportedly presented the document to the UN's human rights wing rather than the decolonisation committee.
Mr Wenda told the ABC he was hopeful the new petition delivered to a different branch of the UN would have an impact.
But the head of the Presidential Palace in Indonesia told local journalists this week, "The UN will respect Indonesia's sovereignty".
In the past, the ULMWP, along with other international activists, have called on the UN to review the 1969 referendum and investigate human rights abuses in the region.
These requests have been repeatedly rejected by the UN and Indonesia has continued its administrative powers over the region.