Papua, Indonesia refers to the western half of the island of New Guinea and encompasses the Indonesian provinces of West Irian Jaya, or Irian Jaya Barat, and Papua. Some also refer to this region of Indonesia as West Papua. Papua has a population of approximately two million and an estimated area of 422,000 square kilometers, which represents about 21% of the land mass, and 1% of the population of Indonesia. About 1.2 million of the estimated two million inhabitants of Papua are indigenous Melanesian people from about 250 different tribes which are distinct from the Malay people of Indonesia. Most of the rest of the people have transmigrated to Papua from elsewhere in Indonesia. The province is rich in mineral resources and timber. Congress' attention to Papua has largely focused on the 2002 attack against Americans near Timika and the human rights situation of the indigenous Melanesian people of Papua. Congress has also expressed interest in the reported military buildup in Papua. These interests have evolved against a backdrop of greatly improved relations between the United States and Indonesia in 2005. An expanded separatist movement in Papua also could lead to greater violence. Papuan issues tend to be subsumed into overall U.S. relations with and policy toward Indonesia. In 2005 there was considerable change in U.S. relations with Indonesia. The February 2005 decision by the Bush Administration to allow Indonesia to participate in International Military Education and Training (IMET) was followed by a May 2005 decision to restart non-lethal foreign military sales (FMS) to Indonesia and a November 2005 decision to waive foreign military financing (FMF) restrictions due to U.S. national security concerns. In this way, past concerns over human rights in Indonesia, including those in Papua, which had limited the extent of the military-to-military relationship have apparently not been given as much weight by policy makers as they have previously due to Indonesia's democratic development and American security concerns. To many, this foreign policy issue has involved a congressional-executive dispute where democratic development in Indonesia and American security concerns have shifted the locus of policy determinants in favor of the executive branch which currently is seeking to develop closer ties with Indonesia. There is concern among some that the message that the United States is still concerned with the human rights situation in Indonesia needs to continue to be conveyed to Indonesia so that Jakarta does not view this shift in America's position as a signal that America is now less concerned with human rights issues. As the peace process in Aceh has progressed, increased attention has been focused on the human rights situation in Papua. In testimony before Congress in March 2005, Ambassador Marie Hutala stated that "the democratic transition underway in Indonesia ... represents an important opportunity for the U.S." She added "our first priority is to encourage continued Indonesian progress on democracy, human rights, and justice." The Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Indonesia makes the following observations, among others, on Indonesia and Papua. The [Indonesian] government's human rights record remained poor; although there were improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.... Security force members murdered, tortured, raped, beat, and arbitrarily detained civilians and members of separatist movements, especially in Aceh and to a lesser extent in Papua. The government restricted the foreign press from traveling to conflict areas in Aceh, Papua, Sulawesi, and Maluku. The country made substantial progress in strengthening its democracy. The government issued a decree authorizing the establishment of a 40-member Papuan Peoples Council. Many observers hope that the human rights situation will improve with the further development of democracy, the rule of law, and civil society in Indonesia. In his statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric G. John stated that "... Papua has suffered from separatist conflict and serious human rights abuses. The Indonesian government has not fully implemented the 2001 Special Autonomy Law that was designed to address political and economic grievances." John also pointed out that President Yudhoyono had "vowed to peacefully resolve the longstanding conflict in Papua" and pledged to "fully implement Special Autonomy." In August 2002, two Americans and an Indonesian working for the PT Freeport mine, a subsidiary of the New Orleans based Freeport McMoRan Cooper and Gold Inc., were killed in an ambush near Timika, Papua. The incident occurred on a road with military checkpoints leading to the Freeport mine and reportedly took place over at least a 30-minute period. To date, circumstances surrounding the Timika attack remain unclear. The two Americans killed were teachers at the International School at Tembagapura near Timika in Papua. They, and their family and friends, came under attack while on a picnic outing. Indonesian police indicated at one point early in the investigation that elements from the Indonesian military may have been involved in the attack. Some of those who believe that elements of the military may have played a role believe that it could have been done in an effort to discredit the Free Papua Movement (OPM) which seeks independence for Papua. Some pro-Papuan independence supporters believe Anthonius Wamang, who is believed to be an OPM operational commander and has been indicted for the attack in the United States, may have been an informer to the Indonesian Military (TNI). The OPM denied involvement with the attack and stated that Wamang "has worked closely with the Indonesian military for the past four years in the sandalwood business and also as part of a pro-Indonesian militia." Wamang was arrested in Papua on January 12, 2006. Details of the 2002 incident should come to light as Wamang's interrogation proceeds, though some are concerned his testimony will be "coerced or twisted in such a way as to exonerate the military." Wamang has reportedly stated that he carried out the attack but that three men in Indonesian military uniforms joined in the attack. It has been reported that "Indonesian soldiers and disgruntled Papuans have acted together against Freeport, at one point orchestrating riots to extract greater benefits from its huge operations.... Wamang's statements now suggest that this same loose coalition may also have been responsible for the killing of the teachers." It also remains unclear whether Indonesia will extradite Wamang to the United States. It has also been reported that Wamang and his group turned themselves in believing that they were to be taken by the FBI to the United States and not into Indonesian custody. In 2005, confusion in Indonesia arose over the U.S. position on Papua because of proposed Congressional legislation. Indonesian reports on proposed Congressional legislation led many in Indonesia to believe that the proposed legislation had already become law and that the United States government as a whole was advocating the independence of Papua. The Indonesian House of Representatives reportedly warned the Indonesian government to take all possible measures to discourage legislation in the United States Congress on Papua. These fears in the minds of Indonesians are made more understandable given Indonesia's colonial past and the history of East Timor. The former Indonesian province of East Timor held a vote on autonomy or independence in 1999 which resulted in the independence of East Timor. The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Board sought clarification on U.S. policy on Papua. The United States Embassy responded to the controversy by reaffirming U.S. support for the territorial integrity of Indonesia. It has also been reported that approximately 40 U.S. Members of Congress sent a letter to the United Nations calling for support for a vote in Papua on independence for Papua. Thirty Five Members of Congress reportedly sent a letter to Indonesian President Yudhoyono calling on him to lift travel restrictions to allow international journalists and human rights advocates to travel to Papua. Vice President Jusuf Kalla has criticized those Members of Congress for meddling in the country's internal affairs stating "what if we were to ask the Indonesian Parliament 'how about Guantanamo'?" Papuans are a Melanesian people like the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) which is situated on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. Papua's tribal groups are thought to speak some 15% of the world's languages. The indigenous Melanesian people of Papua have a culture dating back, by some estimates, 40,000 years. This background differs significantly from the Malay character of the rest of the Indonesian archipelago. The Spanish were the first Europeans to discover the islands in 1546. The Dutch laid claim to Papua in 1828, and by 1910 they had an agreement with Britain and Germany (who controlled the southeast and northeastern parts of New Guinea, respectively) which recognized Dutch control over the western half of New Guinea. Like Indonesia, Papua was a Dutch colonial possession. Unlike Indonesia, it did not become a part of newly independent Indonesia at the time of Indonesia's independence in 1949. The Dutch argued that its ethnic and cultural difference justified Dutch control until a later date. Under former President Sukarno, Indonesia began mounting military pressure on Dutch West Papua in 1961. As outlined in a report by the Council on Foreign Relations, in 1962 the United States pressured the Dutch to turn over control of West Papua to the United Nations (U.N.). Under the American-brokered New York Agreement of 1962 Indonesia was to "make arrangements with the assistance and participation of the United Nations" to give Papuans an opportunity to determine whether they wished to become part of Indonesia or not. Indonesia assumed control over Papua in 1963. In the "Act of Free Choice," carried out in 1969, selected delegates decided to join Indonesia.