This report provides readers with an overview of the situation in Papua and West Papua (Indonesia) throughout 2009, concentrating on issues related to the impact of the 2009 general elections, freedom of expression, security instability and human rights violations. Detailed attention is given to the prolonged violent incidents in the Freeport Grasberg mine in Timika, as an indicator of the general tense situation affecting the provinces, as well as the internal tensions within the security services apparatus. The third section of this report provides an overview of long-standing issues affecting the welfare and the security of indigenous Papuans, including the lack of a well-structure education policy; the effects of palm oil plantations on indigenous communities; and the increased military presence in the provinces that affects Papuan livelihoods.
