The Diplomat

For the Melanesian Spearhead Group, West Papua Presents a Challenge

Last week the 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The MSG is a regional body that includes Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea as ...
The Conversation

I was involved in talks to free a kidnapped Kiwi pilot in West Papua. With negotiations stalled, what happens now?

Damien Kingsbury has advised a number of separatist organisations on negotiations to end conflict, most notably in Aceh in 2005. New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has now been held hostage in West ...
Global Voices Online

Thousands mourn the death of West Papua independence activist Filep Karma

Thousands joined the funeral procession in honor of beloved West Papua independence activist Filep Karma, who was found dead on a Jayapura beach on November 1. He was 63. Police said Karma died during ...
WTHR

Indonesian police arrest dozens ahead of West Papua protest

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A legal aid group says Indonesian police have detained dozens of people ahead of a West Papua independence protest. Jakarta Legal Aid Institute spokeswoman Veronica Koman ...
The Conversation

The NZ pilot held hostage in West Papua is the pawn in a conflict only real international engagement can resolve

Camellia Webb-Gannon has received funding from the Australian Research Council. “Phil Mehrtens is the nicest guy, he genuinely is – no one ever had anything bad to say about him”, says a colleague of ...