FOR most Indonesians, Papua represents conflict and backwardness. To most of the country's non-Papuan residents, the region's various concerns may seem irrelevant. Papua is apparently too far away; even Singapore is geographically closer to most of Indonesia.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) invited Tempo to join a special mission: mapping out the basic issues in Papua while observing the other side of the coin