Australia West Papua Association

Lobby group bemoans 'missed opportunity' by Forum on West Papua

The Sydney-based Australia West Papua Association's spokesperson Joe Collins said the people of Indonesia-occupied West Papua see themselves as part of the Pacific community.

Collins said the outcomes statement by the Forum Leaders in Suva last week - which failed to mention West Papua - is a "missed opportunity" to help people who are suffering at the hands of Jakarta actions.

He said regional leaders must urge the Indonesian government to allow for a fact-finding mission to the territory.

Indonesia says mass Papuan arrest claim is wrong

Earlier this week the Australia West Papua Association called for Canberra to press Jakarta over the arrests in the city of Nabire of about 150 Papuans, mostly members of the pro-independence West Papua National Committee, or KNPB.

But a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington says these arrests did not happen.

It says only one KNPB sympathiser was arrested on July 1st and released the next day.

The statement says two other Papuans were detained on 2 July and held for questioning.