Papuans remain under Indonesia's menacing grip, reports Tom Allard from Jakarta.
It would seem, to most observers, to be a singularly unremarkable venture. A group of American tourists visiting a cultural centre in the Papuan town of Abepura, just outside the capital Jayapura. On the agenda was an opportunity to view some historical artefacts and watch a traditional dance.........................
''With visits from overseas tourists to Papua, there is the possibility of influencing conditions of Papuan society,'' Lieutenant Zainollah wrote in his report to the local Kopassus commander. ''Politically, there needs to be a deeper detection of the existence hidden behind it all because of the possibility of a process of deception … such as meetings with pro-independence groups.''
Freedoms under surveillance ... Kopassus officer Lieutenant Muhammad Zainollah, author of many of the intelligence reports obtained by the Herald.
The note is bizarre and even amusing. It is one of hundreds of intelligence briefs obtained by the Herald from Kopassus intelligence posts in Papua and part of a cache of 19 documents that includes a highly detailed analysis of the ''anatomy'' of the separatist movement.
But it is also instructive of what the material in its entirety reveals: the Indonesian government runs a network of spies and informants in Papua that is staggering in its scope and range of targets. And infecting all the reporting and analysis is a deep paranoia that is both astonishing and disturbing