Indonesian security forces beating a West Papuan man during a previous and separate wave of arrests in Wamena. Image: KNPB/West Papua Media

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Helen Davidson

Indonesian authorities have conducted mass arrests and burned down the homes of West Papuan villagers in response to the deaths of two police officers, a West Papuan independence leader in exile has claimed.

Benny Wenda, who is also an international lobbyist for the Free West Papua campaign and spokesman for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, told Guardian Australia Indonesian military police raided the village of Utikini near Timika on the southern coastline last week and found pro-independence banners in the house of a villager.

More than 100 people were arrested, including women and some children, and dozens of houses were burned down, he said. Most people were released but some are still being detained. Read more »

The Paniai massacre has compounded the “dangerous scenarios” facing President Joko Widowo. Image: PS files

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Warren Doull*

The recent massacre in Paniai, Papua, has moved Indonesia further away from a “Papua Solution”. Five protesters were killed when a combined force of Indonesian police and military opened fire on unarmed demonstrators on December 8.

There are fears that the Jokowi government is emulating the same approach to the military that his party chief, former president Megawati, adopted in 2001-2004. In any case, Jokowi faces a series of dangerous scenarios, with a military that in the past was not above murdering its detractors.

The Megawati approach involves treating military hardliners like spoiled children because they can create huge problems if a civilian president tries to assert authority over them. But giving the military a free reign also has its share of problems. Read more »

Alleged Paniai massacre images distributed on social media networks. Image: Pacific Scoop

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Nethy Darma Somba and Hasyim Widhiarto in Jayapura

Human rights activists have demanded that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo form an independent team to probe a shooting in Paniai, Papua, that claimed the lives of at least five civilians and wounded 21.

“President Jokowi should form an impartial team to thoroughly investigate the shooting incident so as to avoid the blame game among law enforcers and civilians,” said Rev Neles Tebay, coordinator of rights group Peaceful Papua Network.

The shootings occured around 10 a.m. on Monday when security personnel allegedly attempted to disperse a crowd that had gathered and was dancing in Karel Gobai field in Madi district, Paniai. Read more »

A Papuan protest over the killings by Indonesian military at Paniai on Monday. Image: Merdeka

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

Scores of Papuan students have held a demonstration at the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia in protest over the killings of Papuan teenagers on Monday.

The action took place to coincide with a visit by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo who was scheduled to give a public lecture before hundreds of UGM academics.

The students were protesting the armed repression by the Indonesian military against local residents who were alleged to have been members of the pro-independence Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Paniai regency, Papua. Read more »

The scene at Paniai in Papua on Monday after the shootings of teenagers by the Indonesian military to crush a protest. Image: Pacific Scoop

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Oktovianus Pogau in Jayapura

The most saddening Christmas gift for the Papuan people this month has been the death of five teenagers in Paniai regency, Papua, who were shot dead by a joint unit made up of the municipal police (Polresta) and the Indonesian military (TNI) on Monday.

Paniai Traditional Council (DAP) chairperson John Gobay the shooting showed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s remained committed to the continued use of a security approach to resolving West Papuan problems.

“I can say that this is a most saddening gift for the Papuan people, specifically the residents of Paniai this December. We are questioning Jokowi’s commitment to resolve the Papua problem,” Gobay told a media conference at the office of the Democratic Alliance for Papua (ALDP). Read more »

Protesters with the banned Morning Star flag of independence at Paniai, West Papua, where the alleged massacre took place. Image: Vice News

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Scott Mitchell

Indonesian troops have opened fire in West Papua and killed five civilians during protests, as Indonesia faces growing pressure over its occupation of the Melanesian region.

The exact events that led to the deaths on Monday are difficult to trace, especially given media censorship and inconsistent reporting inside West Papua.

It has been established that the shootings occurred in Paniai regency, where locals gathered to demonstrate at Karel Gobay Square. At least five people were reported dead, with at least 12 wounded. Read more »

West Papua Media’s Nick Chesterfield … training for “safe witness” journalism.
Image: Del Abcede/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

The editor of the independent West Papua Media news service monitoring the two Indonesian-ruled provinces has called for more vigilance and better training for “safe witness” journalism.

Speaking at an AUT University seminar on Free West Papua Day following the three-day Pacific Journalism Review 2014 conference, Nick Chesterfield gave a rundown on safe witness training methods and communications to help bring the “real story” from the repressed region.

Chesterfield was also one of the presenters at the PJR2014 conference and clashed with an Indonesian journalist representing the Antara News Agency from Jakarta over the “truth” about West Papua. Read more »

Conference delegates celebrate 20 years of publishing of Pacific Journalism Review at the conference last night. Image: Joseph Fernandez/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Paul Kendon and Tom Carnegie

Two Australian media academics have called for placing student journalists with community groups to “create relationships” before writing articles.

Speaking at the Pacific Journalism Review conference at AUT University yesterday, their message continued a trend of offering delegates a wide range of research topics, including place, space and culture journalism.

Other topics included an emerging Team Australia concept, West Papua journalism freedom and trauma reporting. Read more »

Timor-Leste film maker Max Stahl talks about his groundbreaking documentaries. Photo: David Robie/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By the PMC news desk

Investigative journalists, film makers, academics and media freedom campaigners from across the Asia-Pacific region will converge on AUT University later this month for a conference on political journalism.

The conference on November 27-29, hosted by AUT’s Pacific Media Centre, also celebrates 20 years of publication of the research journal Pacific Journalism Review.

Ces Oreña-Drilon, an award-winning Filipino television journalist once kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels, will deliver one of the keynote addresses on developments in the trial of the Maguindanao massacre in the Southern Philippines in 2009 when 32 journalists were murdered by a local warlord’s militia. Read more »