Context Matters: The Unfinished Struggle Of The West Papuan People
An honest examination of the conflict in West Papua requires an understanding of the contextual claims asserted by both it and Indonesia.
4 Comments
July 11, 2026
Formerly Irian Jaya.
Indonesia, West Papua and the World’s Largest Deforestation Project
The destruction of West Papua's farmland and forests represents an ecological and cultural disaster, compounding the atrocious human rights record on the island.
June 10, 2026
The Dance of Bliss and the Silence of West Papua
On cosmic harmony, extraction, and the seventy-three dead.
May 3, 2026
Accountability / Culture / Environment / Government / Human Rights / International Law / Justice / Mining / West Papua
The Impact of the Grasberg Mine: A Deep Dive into West Papua’s Struggles
The Grasberg Mine in West Papua is damaging the environment and compromises the health and cultural heritage of the local Indigenous people.
February 25, 2025
Asia-Pacific / Assimilation / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide / Government / Human Rights / Indonesia / Racism / Refugees / United Nations / West Papua
Treaties, lies and the Morning Star Flag
“The West Papuans have become the victims of Australia’s regional foreign policy arrangements that prop up the anti-refugee policies of Operation Sovereign Borders.” Ian Rintoul, Refugee Action Coalition. Fifty-two years…
December 1, 2013
They Bear Witness, by Dadang Christanto. Exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Never a number
On the ground floor of the Art Gallery of NSW I saw one of the most moving pieces of sculpture I can remember visiting. It did not surpass the sublime…
May 20, 2013
Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide / Government / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Law Enforcement / Racism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / United Nations / West Papua
West Papua – time we were #idlenomore
“We recognize international law …” Every country that is a member of the United Nations recognizes international law, Bob, at least as far as it serves their purposes. It seems…
March 6, 2013
Asia-Pacific / Australian Aborigines / Disability / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Human Rights / Indonesia / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Queensland / Racial Discrimination Act / Racism / Religion / Respect / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / United Nations / Vanuatu / West Papua / Xenophobia
Promises and passages – it’s all an illusion
The racism that permeates Australia has not altered since the days of the blackbirders.
December 8, 2012
Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Aborigines / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / Racism / Respect / Shared humanity / West Papua
The Medusa – the price we all pay for political corruption
Let us venture to advance another truth, a truth useful to the Minister himself. There exists among the officers of the Marine, an intractable esprit de corps, a pretended point…
December 6, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide / Government / Human Rights / Indonesia / Law Enforcement / Racism / Shared humanity / West Papua
West Papua: Remembering 51 years of oppression
Dusk is falling across Melbourne and West Papua, but not over the dreams of the Papuan people. Today, remembering 51 years of oppression having been denied the right to self-determination,…
December 1, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Corruption / Globalisation / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Julian Moti / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / United Nations / West Papua
A process of truth and judgement
Judgement is our oldest belief, our most habitual holding-true or holding un-true, an assertion or denial, a certainty that something is thus not otherwise, a belief that here we really…
October 9, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Democracy / Equality / Human Rights / Neo-Colonialism / Rule of Law / United Nations / West Papua
Dialogue and spin: genocide on Australia’s doorstep, the West Papuan story
Athenians: For ourselves, we shall not trouble you with specious pretences — either of how we have a right to our empire because we overthrew the Mede [Persians], or are…
October 6, 2012
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / ASIO / Australian Federal Police / Bill of Rights / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Democracy / Government / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / Terrorism / West Papua
The War on Terror and democracy’s Faustian bargain
Since the events of 9/11 the Australian Government, has passed 54 pieces of ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation.
September 18, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Genocide / Human Rights / Justice / Law / Rule of Law / Sexism / Shared humanity / West Papua
Kristallnacht: Why human rights is everyone’s business
Tell me who you are, what you stand for what you mean Tell me what the lines and whirls upon your hand do mean Show me plain the markings of…
September 9, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua
The limits of Shiva’s dance: West Papua, Australia’s role in genocide
West Papua is being exploited for it's resources, environmentally polluted and it's people fail to benefit from the profits.
July 5, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Culture / Environment / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / Justice / Mining / Neo-Colonialism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua
300,000 dead West Papuan’s: a fair price for our golems?
Sydney: city of mystery, city of marvels. Sydney: its foreshores once teeming with Gadigal; now a captive city pregnant with memories, enveloped by memories of a Gadigal Atlantis. The traditional…
May 24, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / Equality of opportunity / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Law / Mining / Neo-Colonialism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua
Beware there be Jinn in the forests: Indonesia and West Papua, a clash of cultures
Last weekend I took a stroll through the Mesopotamia exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. While reading the commentary attached to a number of the artefacts I realised, in a profound…
May 20, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Environment / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / Mining / Pacific Neighbours / Shared humanity / West Papua
Portia’s Lament: Western greed and the death of the indigenous cultures of West Papua
Fragments from the Alfoxden Notebook There he would stand In the still covert of some [lonesome?] rock, Or gaze upon the moon until its light Fell like a strain of…
May 9, 2012
Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Justice / Law Enforcement / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / West Papua
Vice-regal corruption: Australia and the UNSC
The Samoan Government has announced that Australian Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, will visit the country next week as part of a Pacific tour that also includes Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Solomon…
March 21, 2012
Asia-Pacific / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Human Rights / Justice / Law / Neo-Colonialism / Racism / Respect / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua
West Papua and the United Nations
July of 1969 was a big month. Whilst the ‘civilized’ world was focused on the deployment of three men to the moon, Indonesia was finalizing steps to wrest control of…
March 20, 2012