West Papua

Brigadier General Gusti Putu Danny, the head of Papua's Intelligence Agency was shot near Dambet Village in the Puncak District on Sunday.

The Indonesia's president has ordered a crackdown on what he calls armed criminal groups.

The Indonesian media has also reported the chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly in Papua, Bambang Soesatyo, urging the government to deploy forces at full strength to crush the Papuan rebellion.

He is quoted saying "destroy them first. We will discuss human rights matters later."

This comes amid more violence in the highlands of Papua province, with two school teachers shot dead last week in Puncak district.

The West Papua Liberation Army claimed responsibility for at least one of the killings, saying the teacher was an Indonesian spy.

Indonesian military and police have evacuated a number of residents as they pursue the Liberation Army's guerilla fighters and supporters.

Thousands of villagers in this region have been displaced by violence between Indonesian security forces and the rebel group since it escalated two years ago.

Yeremia Zanambani was shot dead last month, one of a series of killings in Papua's Intan Jaya regency.

The pastor was killed while tending to his pigs, two days after a pair of Indonesian soldiers were killed by what the team called an armed criminal group, the government's oft-used term for the West Papua Liberation Army.

The Liberation Army's guerilla fighters are engaged in ongoing conflict with Indonesia's military in Papua's rugged interior.

The team said it found indications that Indonesia's security forces were involved in the shooting of Pastor Zanambani.

In line with the Forum Leaders decisions in Tuvalu in 2019, the Forum Chair has this week written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet, requesting an update on the consultations with the Government of Indonesia concerning the invitation for a mission to West Papua (Papua).

The testy comments came in Indonesia's right of reply to a statement by Vanuatu's prime minister Bob Loughman at the United Nations General Assembly.

It's become an annual scrap at the general assembly, with Vanuatu raising concern about a lack of action by Indonesian authorities in addressing human rights abuses against West Papuans. In exchange, Indonesian diplomats slam the Vanuatu for interfering in its domestic affairs,

It's the first recorded death from Covid-19 in the Papua region, and adds to fears that a looming surge in cases could overwhelm the health system on both sides of New Guinea.

The death was recorded in Sorong, the western most city of New Guinea. Tabloid Jubi reports the death was confirmed by West Papua's Task Force Covid-19.

The victim had been a patient at a hospital in Sorong city, where another five patients remained under supervision for suspected coronavirus infection.

International Lawyers for West Papua has also raised concern that treason trials of six Papuan pro-independence activists have been moved to East Kalimantan.

The activists, who include leading members of the West Papua National Committee and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, were arrested during recent unrest. They are accused of stirring mass protests in the Papuan provinces during August and September.

As many as 43 people were killed when riots broke out in the city of Wamena last month, which came amid some of the largest protests to sweep the region in years.

On Friday, Indonesia's Commission on Human Rights called for a full investigation into the fatalities, which activists say were at the hands of the military.

The agency's deputy chairman called on Indonesia's government to solve the crisis in West Papua.

Papuan news outlet Tabloid Jubi reports the bodies were found on Thursday in a village in Nduga regency, where violence has flared since last year.

A youth leader from the regency, Samuel Tabuni, is quoted as saying the victims, two of whom were teenagers, were shot by Indonesia's military.

Military spokesperson, Eko Daryanto, told Tabloid Jubi he had not received a report of the shooting.

It comes as violence continues to rock Papua and West Papua provinces, where dozens have died during clashes.

An official with the country's social ministry said the air force has flown around 7,500 people out of Wamena after unrest there in the past month.

Reuters reports Harry Hikmat saying another group of nearly 4,200 residents left on commercial flights.

A police spokesperson said the situation in Wamena is now stable, with shops and markets again open.