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The Latest Breaking News from West Papua

The flight to freedom of Phillip Mehrtens, the NZ pilot who survived 594 days in captivity

In February 2023 his plane was stormed by independence fighters in West Papua who said he may never be released and threatened to kill him. Somehow, Mehrtens survived and is now a free man

The Guardian - AU

New Zealand pilot held captive in West Papua for 19 months ‘very happy’ after being freed

Phillip Mehrtens says he is looking forward to being reunited with family after release by rebels in the region

The Guardian - UK

West Papua rebels propose terms for release of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens

Announcement comes hours after rebels said the Indonesian army had bombed its headquarters where Mehrtens is being kept

The Guardian - AU

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Fossils reveal first direct clues to daring migration across seas by early humans

Findings add to understanding of adaptability of early seafaring humans, scientists say

The Independent UK

Australia and Indonesia to deepen military ties after striking ‘historic’ security pact

Anthony Albanese and Prabowo Subianto announce conclusion of treaty negotiations but reporters weren’t able to ask questions about new deal

The Guardian - AU

New evidence from West Papua offers fresh clues about how and when humans first moved into the Pacific

In the deep human past, highly skilled seafarers made daring crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands. It was a migration of global importance that shaped the distribution of our species – Homo sapiens – across the planet.

The Conversation

New Zealand Pilot Killed In Papua Helicopter Attack

Gunmen attack helicopter in Papua, killing New Zealand pilot. West Papua Liberation Army claims responsibility. Ongoing conflicts in the region.

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Human rights activists condemn shooting of pro-independence lawyer in West Papua

HUMAN rights activists have condemned the shooting of a lawyer in West Papua who is known for defending people campaigning for the country’s…

The National (Scotland)

Indonesian military apologises after West Papuan man filmed being tortured in water-filled barrel

Footage allegedly filmed during February military raid in Puncak regency renews calls for international intervention in contested regionWarning: this article contains graphic content

The Guardian - AU

New Zealand pilot kidnapped a year ago in West Papua will be freed, rebel group says

Separatist fighters who seized Phillip Mehrtens say he will be released to protect humanity and safeguard human rights, but did not say when

The Guardian - AU

Why you will never hear an Australian leader call out Indonesia on West Papua

Australia is willing to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in West Papua because alienating Indonesia is not worth the risk as China jostles for regional influence

The Guardian - AU

‘The kids had all been tortured’: Indonesian military accused of targeting children in West Papua

Exclusive: Australia is seeking to strengthen ties with Indonesia, despite new reports of brutality by the military — including the torture and murder of civilians — in West Papua

The Guardian - AU

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

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has now been held hostage in West Papua for four months. Stalled attempts to negotiate his release, and an unsuccessful Indonesian military rescue attempt, suggest a confused picture behind the scenes.

The Conversation

Afternoon Update: Fox News reportedly pushes to settle Dominion case; deadly violence in West Papua; and Victoria’s big infrastructure pause

The high-profile defamation case has been rescheduled amid reports it may not proceed

The Guardian - AU

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Newsroom.co.nz

The Week in Detail: West Papua, forestry slash, and light pollution

The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week.

Newsroom.co.nz

The pilot, the rebels and West Papua's independence struggle

How did a Kiwi pilot get caught up in a rebel group's demands for West Papua's independence from Indonesia?

The Conversation

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

“Phil Mehrtens is the nicest guy, he genuinely is – no one ever had anything bad to say about him”, says a colleague of the New Zealand pilot taken hostage this week by members of the West Papuan Liberation Army (TPN-PB) in the mountainous Nduga Regency.

ABC News

West Papuan separatist group makes demands to Australia, New Zealand after kidnapping Kiwi pilot Philip Mehrtens, burning plane

A West Papuan separatist group is demanding Australia and New Zealand sever military ties with Indonesia after kidnapping a New Zealand pilot on Tuesday.

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Crikey

Kidnapped New Zealand pilot ‘will be executed’, claim Papuan separatists, if independence negotiations fail

Philip Mehrtens, a Kiwi pilot, was kidnapped on Tuesday by insurrectionists from the West Papua National Liberation Army, considered a terrorist organisation by Jakarta.

The Conversation

Reef manta rays are in decline globally – but new research finds one place in Indonesia where these charismatic rays are thriving

Raja Ampat archipelago in West Papua is home to Indonesia’s largest population of reef manta rays, Mobula alfredi. They are not mammals, but cartilaginous fish that are related to sharks.

The Guardian - AU

Filep Karma: West Papuan independence campaigner found dead on beach

Friends of twice jailed human rights activist call for independent inquiry after body found in damaged wetsuit at Base G beach, Jayapura

Al Jazeera

Australia committed to military cooperation with Indonesia

Country seen as an ‘important partner’ in a region where China is becoming increasingly assertive.

AFP

Rebels shoot four dead in Indonesia's West Papua: police

Timika (Indonesia) (AFP) - Separatists in Indonesia's restive eastern province of West Papua have shot dead at least four people, police said Friday, identifying the victims as construction workers on a controversial and long-delayed road project.

Reuters

Four shot dead in Indonesia's restive Papua region-police

Four people were shot and killed by an armed rebel group in Indonesia's restive West Papua province, the latest in a string of attacks on civilians, police said on Friday.

Al Jazeera

Strong earthquakes jolt parts of Indonesia’s West Papua province

At least four land-based earthquakes of between 6.2 and 5.5 magnitudes were recorded, though no damage was reported.

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