Transcript
Since 2018, there's been a surge of violent exchanges between the West Papua Liberation Army and Indonesian security forces in Papua province.
Thousands of West Papuans have been displaced from the conflict's epicentre in the Highlands region of the Indonesian-ruled province.
Additionally, according to Amnesty International Indonesia's Usman Hamid, Papuans are being criminalised for peacefully expressing their opinion.
"Last year, due to racial slurs in Surabaya (that) triggered massive demonstrations across Papua and also some demonstrations in Jakarta, it led to the arrest and detention of more student activists and also political activists charged with treason. And there are at least 57 (arrested and detained) that we can verify last year. And this is maybe the highest number in terms of political prisoners or prisoners of conscience under (Indonesian president) Joko Widodo's administration."
In the wake of the protests, hundreds of West Papuans studying in Java returned home to Papua over security fears.
But some of the students say they're being targeted by security forces there.
Displaced from their homes, a number of them end up in the jungles of New Guinea, moving across the border to PNG, including into Vanimo electorate.
A secretary for Vanimo's MP Belden Namah, Bonny Kaiyo, says the students are seeking asylum in regional countries
"They're the ones that are leading the demonstration... mainly led by the students from Wamena to do awareness and so they're the ones who are in all the demonstrations, they're on the frontline of the struggle."
Mr Kaiyo says he knows of a group of about 50 students want help getting out of West Papua permanently.
"They want to settle in Australia, New Zealand or the countries in the MSG and the Pacific islands Forum. I think they don't want to go to America or Europe,. They want to stay in the region."
Vanimo landowner Dorothy Tekwie confirms some of those displaced by West Papua's recent surge in conflict have fled across the border and ended up in her village.
"The numbers in the camps on the PNG side have increased. On my own particular land the number of young people, young men I've never seen before... there is an influx of people coming in, and they feel they are able to slide back in again."
The main land access point between Indonesia and PNG is at the Wutung border post on New Guinea's north coast.
A busy terminus for people travelling between the West Papuan capital Jayapura and PNG's Sepik region, Wutung is tightly guarded by Indonesian military forces on the lookout for Papuans who campaign for independence.
Henry Samosir, an information, social and cultural affairs officer from Indonesia's consulate in Vanimo town, 40 minutes drive from the border, says he hasn't seen evidence of a recent influx.
But he admits that the nature of the porous nature of the border means it is possible for people to move back and forth undetected.
"Since our border with PNG, you can imagine, it's almost 800km and people they are free to do whatever they like and sometimes nobody can see what they are doing."
Many Papuans cross the border further south in the rugged mountainous central region, ending up in places like Kiunga in PNG's Western Province.
Ms Tekwie says those who end up in PNG are generally able to blend in easily, being fellow Melanesians
"I don't know how they get through, but these are mountain people, they walk and live off the land; they know how to hunt; so if it's getting too much on the other side, they just move over here. After all, this is just one island. There is no brick or cement border mark fencing from one end to another, it's just open forest."
There's an estimated 10,000 West Papuan refugees residing in PNG.
While they may blend in, most of them do not have citizenship, leaving them marginalised from land and public services.
In both PNG's Western and West Sepik provinces, the Catholic church often plays a role in caring for Papuan refugees.
The Bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli recalls one West Papuan couple with health problems who his diocese helped.
"The diocese of Vanimo, we actually paid fares for them to go to Port Moresby, assuming that they will get treatment there because Vanimo said the case was complicated and difficult, so Moresby would be able to do that."
When he was in Moresby recently, the bishop caught up with the pair.
"They are struggling to stay in Moresby. Because their status was not very clear, the government would not even allow them to go to the hospital to get treatment."
West Papuans are part of a record number of displaced people around the world, approaching 71 million as of last year.
Amnesty International Indonesia has urged Jakarta to allow an impartial investigation into the number of internally displaced people affected by conflict in West Papua.
The concern is that, left unchecked, the numbers of displaced will swell, and the spillover impacts will grow for PNG.
