The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization is a name given to a separatist movement that aims to separate West Papua from Indonesia and establish an independent state in the region. The territory is currently divided into six Indonesian provinces of Central Papua,Highland Papua,Papua,South Papua,Southwest Papua,and West Papua,also formerly known as Papua,Irian Jaya and West Irian.
West Papua,formerly Irian Jaya Barat,is an Indonesian province located in Indonesia Papua. It covers most of the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea:the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula and the whole of the Bomberai Peninsula,along with nearby smaller islands. The province is bordered to the north by the Pacific Ocean,to the west by Southwest Papua Province,the Halmahera Sea and the Ceram Sea,to the south by the Banda Sea,and to the east by the province of Central Papua and the Cenderawasih Bay. Manokwari is the province's capital and largest city. With an estimated population of 569,570 in mid-2023,West Papua is the least populous province in Indonesia after South Papua,following the separation off in 2022 of the western half of the Bird's Head Peninsula to create the new province of Southwest Papua,containing 52% of what had been West Papua's population. Its population density is similar to Russia.
The Republic of West Papua,alternatively known as the Federal Republic of West Papua is a quasi-state consisting of the Western New Guinea region,which is currently part of Indonesia on the continent of Oceania. The region has been part of Indonesia since 1 May 1963 under several names in the following order,West Irian,Irian Jaya,and Papua. Today the region comprises six Indonesian provinces:Papua,Central Papua,Highland Papua,South Papua,West Papua,and Southwest Papua.
The Republic of Indonesia,a country located in Southeast Asia has three time zones. Western Indonesia Time is seven hours ahead (UTC+07:00) of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC),used in the islands of Sumatra,Java,and the western half of Kalimantan. Central Indonesia Time is eight hours ahead (UTC+08:00),used in the eastern half of Kalimantan,as well as all of Bali,the Lesser Sunda Islands,and Sulawesi. Eastern Indonesia Time is nine hours ahead (UTC+09:00),used in the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea.
Terrorism in Indonesia refer to acts of terrorism that take place within Indonesia or attacks on Indonesian people or interests abroad. These acts of terrorism often target the government of Indonesia or foreigners in Indonesia,most notably Western visitors,especially those from the United States and Australia.
Benny Wenda is a West Papuan independence leader and Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). He is an international lobbyist for the independence of West Papua from Indonesia. He lives in exile in the United Kingdom. In 2003 he was granted political asylum by the British government following his escape from custody while on trial.
The Papua conflict is an ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea (Papua) between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement. Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Dutch administration from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962 and implementation of Indonesian administration in 1963,the Free Papua Movement has conducted a low-intensity guerrilla war against Indonesia by targeting its military and police,along with ordinary Indonesian civilians.
Nicolaas Jouwe was a Papuan leader who was selected to be vice president of the New Guinea Council that governed the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea. As the president of the New Guinea Council was the Dutch civil servant Frits Sollewijn Gelpke,Jouwe was the highest ranking Papuan politician in the colony.
Silas Ayari Donrai Papare was a Papuan–Indonesian politician and guerilla leader who is a National Hero of Indonesia.
The West New Guinea dispute (1950–1962),also known as the West Irian dispute,was a diplomatic and political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia over the territory of Dutch New Guinea. While the Netherlands had ceded sovereignty over most of the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia on 27 December 1949 following an independence struggle,it retained control over its colony on the western half of New Guinea. The Indonesian government claimed this territory as well,on the basis that it had belonged to the Dutch East Indies and that the new Republic of Indonesia was the legitimate successor to the former Dutch colony.
Police-General (Ret.) Muhammad Tito Karnavian is an Indonesian politician and retired police officer who is currently serving as Minister of Home Affairs from 2019-2029. Previously,he served as chief of the Indonesian National Police from 2016 to 2019 and chief of the National Counter Terrorism Agency in 2016.
The Trans-Papua Highway refers to 12 road segments,some under construction,across Western New Guinea in Indonesia,located in the island of New Guinea. The roads stretch from Sorong to Merauke with a total length of 4,325 km (2,687 mi). As of March 2017,3,850 km (2,390 mi) of roads had been completed and construction on all the roads was predicted to finish in 2018,but construction was delayed in late 2018 due to armed conflict.
The 2019 Papua protests were a series of protests by Papuans in Indonesia that began on 19 August 2019 and mainly took place across Indonesian Papua region in response to the arrests of 43 Papuan students in Surabaya,East Java for alleged disrespect of the Indonesian flag. Many of the protests involved thousands of participants,and some grew from local protests in Surabaya to demanding an independence referendum for the whole region. In several locations,the protests turned into general riots,resulting in the destruction of government buildings in Wamena,Sorong and Jayapura. Clashes between protesters and police resulted in injuries,with over 30 people killed from both the clashes and the rioting.
The Arfai incident was a skirmish between Indonesian Army soldiers and Free Papua Movement fighters backed by local sympathizers on 28 July 1965,where the fighters launched a raid against an Indonesian barracks in an attempt to capture firearms.
The West Papua National Liberation Army,officially referred to in Indonesia as the Armed Criminal Group,and after 2021,Separatist Terrorist Group,is a Western New Guinean insurgent group in Indonesia. It is the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement.
Machmud Singgirei Rumagesan was an Indonesian Papuan king of Sekar and pro-integration activist from West Papua. He founded the movement Gerakan Tjendrawasih Revolusioner Irian Barat (GTRIB) in 1953,and became the member of Supreme Advisory Council in 1959. On 10 November 2020,Singgirei Rumagesan was posthumously declared a National Hero of Indonesia for his lifelong efforts to unite West Irian with Indonesia.
Central Papua,officially the Central Papua Province is an Indonesian province located in the central region of Western New Guinea. It was formally established on 11 November 2022 from the former eight western regencies of the province of Papua. It covers an area of 61,072.91 km2 and had an officially estimated population of 1,452,810 in mid 2023. It is bordered by the Indonesian provinces of West Papua to the west,the province of Papua to the north and northeast,by Highland Papua to the east,and by South Papua to the southeast. The administrative capital is located in Wanggar District in Nabire Regency,although Timika is a larger town.
The following is the broad timeline for major events in the Papua conflict.
Egianus Kogoya is a military commander of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
