West Papuan leaders face treason charges

A few years ago, the fate of the four West Papuan community leaders arrested and charged recently for treason for praying for Australian and West Papuan activists aboard the West Papua Freedom Flotilla, would have been unimaginable. Thanks to current international attention, the men have been released. The Freedom Flotilla is sailing from Australia to draw attention to human rights abuses in the troubled Indonesian province. The Flotilla is scheduled to land in the West Papuan town of Merauke in the coming weeks, despite the activists being denied Indonesian visas and sailing permit. The men will be referred to the public prosecutor.

This article was written by

Kiery Manassah

ART OF DEVELOPMENT

DP22 – The creative economy has often been overlooked as a driver of economic growth, but is known to have important knock-on effects.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

DP19 – It has often been said that nobody goes hungry in the Pacific, but is this true? Agricultural production has declined in recent decades and it’s not just natural disasters which can impact on food security.
URBAN HYMNS

DP18 – Urbanisation needs to be seen and managed as a national priority, while a new mindset is required that can look positively at the urban process.

Snapshots from Dili

Ben Bohane shows us how things looked at the Dili Conference
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Ben Bohane moves with Guam Battalion down to Kandahar, whose large airfield is the jump-off point to various bases in the south and, it seems, often comes under attack.
BULA-STAN

Ben Bohane seeks out the Fijians and Tongans operating in Helmand province