CoveragePost
August 24, 2025
By Alifereti Sakiasi in Suva West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor has vowed not to be silenced despite years of threats, harassment and even a bomb attack on his home. The 51-year-old founder and editor-in-chief of Jubi, West Papua’s leading media outlet, was in Fiji this week, where he spoke exclusively to The Fiji Times about ... <a title="Bombs fail to silence West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/24/bombs-fail-to-silence-west-papuan-journalist-victor-mambor/" aria-label="Read more about Bombs fail to silence West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 22, 2025
By Andrew Mathieson Exiled West Papuan media are calling for Fiji — in a reflection of Melanesian solidarity — to hold the greater Pacific region to account and stand against Indonesia’s ongoing media blackout in addition to its human rights abuses. The leaders in their field which include two Papuans from Indonesia’s occupied provinces have ... <a title="West Papuan media plea for Melanesian support against Indonesian media blackout" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/22/west-papuan-media-plea-for-melanesian-support-against-indonesian-media-blackout/" aria-label="Read more about West Papuan media plea for Melanesian support against Indonesian media blackout">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 23, 2025
By Julian Isaac The Indonesian Military (TNI) is committed to supporting the completion of the Trans-Papua Highway during President Prabowo Subianto’s term in office. While the military is not involved in construction, it plays a critical role in securing the project from threats posed by pro-independence Papuan resistance groups in “high-risk” regions. Spanning a total ... <a title="Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/07/23/indonesian-military-set-to-complete-trans-papua-highway-under-prabowos-rule/" aria-label="Read more about Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 7, 2025
Pacific Media Watch West Papuan independence advocate Octovianus Mote was in Aotearoa New Zealand late last year seeking support for independence for West Papua, which has been ruled by Indonesia for more than six decades. Mote is vice-president of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and was hosted in New Zealand by the ... <a title="Legends of a Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific – Octo Mote" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/07/07/legends-of-a-nuclear-free-and-independent-pacific-octo-mote/" aria-label="Read more about Legends of a Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific – Octo Mote">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 1, 2025
Asia Pacific Report The NGO Coalition on Human Rights in Fiji (NGOCHR) has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka as the new chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to “uphold justice, stability and security” for Kanaky New Caledonia and West Papua. In a statement today after last week’s MSG leaders’ summit in Suva, the ... <a title="Fiji human rights coalition challenges Rabuka over decolonisation ‘unfinished business’" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/07/01/fiji-human-rights-coalition-challenges-rabuka-over-decolonisation-unfinished-business/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji human rights coalition challenges Rabuka over decolonisation ‘unfinished business’">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 26, 2025
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan independence movement leader has warned the Melanesian Spearhead Group after its 23rd leaders summit in Suva, Fiji, to not give in to a “neocolonial trade in betrayal and abandonment” over West Papua. While endorsing and acknowledging the “unconditional support” of Melanesian people to the West Papuan cause for decolonisation, ... <a title="‘Don’t surrender’ to Indonesian pressure over West Papua, Bomanak warns MSG" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/26/dont-surrender-to-indonesian-pressure-over-west-papua-bomanak-warns-msg/" aria-label="Read more about ‘Don’t surrender’ to Indonesian pressure over West Papua, Bomanak warns MSG">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 25, 2025
RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says the Middle East conflict was one of the discussions of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Suva this week — and Pacific leaders “took note of what is happening”. The Post-Courier reports Marape saying the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran was based on ... <a title="Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/25/melanesian-spearhead-group-leaders-discuss-middle-east-conflict-before-ceasefire/" aria-label="Read more about Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 25, 2025
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based advocacy group has condemned the participation of Indonesia in the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is meeting in Suva this week, saying it is a “profound disgrace” that the Indonesian Embassy continues to “operate freely” within the the MSG Secretariat. “This presence blatantly undermines the core principles of justice and solidarity ... <a title="Fiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/25/fiji-advocacy-group-slams-indonesian-role-in-msg-as-a-disgrace/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 23, 2025
By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent Two international organisations are leading a call for the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to elevate the membership status of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) at their upcoming summit in Honiara in September. The collective, led by International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) and International Lawyers ... <a title="Pro-independence advocates urge MSG to elevate West Papua membership" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/23/pro-independence-advocates-urge-msg-to-elevate-west-papua-membership/" aria-label="Read more about Pro-independence advocates urge MSG to elevate West Papua membership">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 11, 2025
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Further reports of civilian casualties are coming out of West Papua, while clashes between Indonesia’s military and the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement continue. One of the most recent military operations took place in the early morning of May 14 in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya in Central ... <a title="More deaths reported out of Sugapa in West Papua clashes with military" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/11/more-deaths-reported-out-of-sugapa-in-west-papua-clashes-with-military/" aria-label="Read more about More deaths reported out of Sugapa in West Papua clashes with military">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 3, 2025
Asia Pacific Report An escalation in fighting between Indonesian security forces and Papuan pro-independence fighters in West Papua has seriously threatened the security of the largely indigenous population, says Human Rights Watch in a new report. The human rights watchdog warned that all parties to the conflict are obligated to abide by international humanitarian law, ... <a title="Human Rights Watch warns renewed fighting threatens West Papua civilians" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/03/human-rights-watch-warns-renewed-fighting-threatens-west-papua-civilians/" aria-label="Read more about Human Rights Watch warns renewed fighting threatens West Papua civilians">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 22, 2025
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist A West Papua independence leader says escalating violence is forcing indigenous Papuans to flee their ancestral lands. It comes as the Indonesian military claims 18 members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) were killed in an hour-long operation in Intan Jaya on May 14. In a statement, ... <a title="Indonesian military operations spark concerns over displaced indigenous Papuans" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/05/22/indonesian-military-operations-spark-concerns-over-displaced-indigenous-papuans/" aria-label="Read more about Indonesian military operations spark concerns over displaced indigenous Papuans">Read more</a>
