West Papua, a region in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea, declared its independence June 4, setting the stage for possible conflict with the Indonesian army. President Abdurrahman Wahid rejected the declaration, and the streets of the West Papuan capital of Jayapura are tense. West Papua has an armed militia, but the use of force would only raise the specter of an East Timor-like conflict.
The bombing of a Protestant church in the North Sumatran capital of Medan, and the attempted bombing of two other churches has raised fears that the Muslim-Christian violence that swept over the Maluku Islands could be coming to Sumatra. Follow local press reports for current updates if traveling here.