Talking Indonesia

In early December, at least 16 civilians and 1 soldier were killed, with 5 others missing, in attacks on workers constructing the Trans-Papua Highway in Nduga district in the Papuan highlands. The armed wing of the pro-independence Free Papua Movement has claimed responsibility, as part of the protracted conflict between the Indonesian government and sections of Papuan society. Indonesian police and military have launched joint operations in response, reportedly also causing several fatalities. The two Papuan provinces - Papua and West Papua - have the lowest human development index scores in Indonesia, and the Jokowi government has placed infrastructure projects like the Trans-Papua Highway at the centre of its approach to the area. In the wake of this attack, questions inevitably arise however regarding Papuan attitudes to such development projects, their likely impacts, and regarding Papuan's perception more generally of the Indonesian nation and their place within it. In this week's Talking Indonesi