The latest shooting incidents, injuring 55-year-old Dietmar Pieper in Jayapura and killing 36-year-old Antun Arung Tambila in Puncak Jaya, indicate a continued relapse into violence, regular episodes of insecurity and the sustained maintenance of low-intensity conflict in the region by belligerents.

Although foreign nationals are rarely targeted, previous shootings targeting Australian as well as US citizens associated with the gold mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia have impacted negatively on international public opinion and have raised questions on wider bilateral relations between other countries and Jakarta.

The recent UN Universal Periodic Review in Geneva saw a number of countries change their stance regarding Indonesian policies in Papua and questioned Jakarta’s commitment to human rights in
the region.

Unidentified shootings have been on the rise sinc...