KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: Proposed new laws intended to deter asylum seekers from the troubled Indonesian province of Papua are already being tested. The new laws would see asylum seekers who arrive by boat, processed offshore and resettled in another country if they are found to be refugees. The tough new policy was announced after 42 Papuans were given temporary protection visas after arriving here in January, a decision which, you'll recall, enraged the Indonesian Government.

Twenty-seven leaders representing different Factions of the West Papuan Independence Movement have agreed in their meeting held in Yambi, Papua New Guinea on the formation of a national unity and reconciliation body, the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation. The meeting was held between 28 November and 1st December 2005 and was attended by leaders from 18 resistance organizations including the TPN, the Military Arm of the OPM.

Behind a recent, highly controversial indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bush administration is maneuvering to revive military ties with the Indonesian Army (TNI), one of the world's most oppressive institutions. In late June, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft convinced a federal grand jury to indict Anthonuis Wamang for a 2002 ambush in West Papua that killed two Americans, an Indonesian, and wounded 12 others.

About 1,000 people have staged a peaceful demonstration in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, calling for the United Nations to hold an East Timor-style referendum for independence in the region. Civil servants, students, church and tribal leaders and members of the Free Papua Movement rebel group gathered in the provincial capital Jayapura The rally was called to air grievances over problems ranging from human rights abuse to questions over the validity of a 1969 UN-staged vote on independence for Papua.