Dear Spencer,

I was not following your conversation closely, but I am glad that you support the Tamil family. Let us pray for their speedy return home to their community.

Regarding Leviticus 19:18, I am surprised that only two English translation got it right as "love thy friend" (Wycliffe Bible and Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible): nearly all English translation got it wrongly as "love thy neighbour" (but Good News Translation has it right for Matthew 5:43).

The Hebrew text is "VeAhavta LereAcha Camocha" (I placed a capital 'A' to indicate the 'e' and the 'A' are of separate syllables).
VeAhavta = and you should love
Le-ReA-Cha = to-'ReA'-yours
Camocha = as yourself
and 'ReA' translates as friend, companion, fellow, comrade, even sometimes as lover, but essentially as someone you spend time with, I think the English word 'fellow' fits best. Perhaps at the time when English translations started, people interacted mostly with their neighbours, but this is far from being the case today, nor while wandering in the desert without permanent homes.

I suppose that if we spend time with enemies, even if that time is spent fighting, then they become our fellows and we are to love them as well. The best of course is to stay away from bad company to begin with.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says we will pay Indonesia $331.3million in 2018-2019.

"We work in an economic partnership, supporting Indonesia's efforts to tackle inequality and maintain social stability, promote tolerance and pluralism, and counter violent extremism. We provide policy and technical advice that will improve the quality of Indonesia's investments in infrastructure, economic governance, human development and social policy, including in the area of law and justice."

Check out what we have been helping Indonesia do when it comes to Papua.

PNG has been getting $1.2 million a day from Australia ever since Independence in 1975.
What has been achieved with that support ?

At least in West Papua the Indonesian Air Force provides free transport via Hercules aircraft for outlying villagers to bring their goods to town twice a week. Housing has suffered the same treatment as was much talked about here about indigenous housing in the recent past.
Many West Papuans occupy positions in the Govt Departments & they have created their own swamp. The poor uneducated villager is of no consequence to them apart from being handy to boost & stir up demonstration crowds.

We seem to be subsidising a few neighbours these days.

What is going on in Papua, I wonder?

Why were Australians who were there deported? Why are the soldiers shooting into a crowd?

https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2019/sep/02/indonesian-security-forces-open-fire-on-papuan-protesters-video

Why are the soldiers shooting into a crowd?
Waverley,
Would you just stand there & let an over-emotional, hoodwinked crowd get their hands on you ?

individual,

Watching that video was horrific.

<<Why are the soldiers shooting into a crowd?
Waverley,
Would you just stand there & let an over-emotional, hoodwinked crowd get their hands on you?>>

Not enough information was given in the Guardian story for me to make an assessment of why there was shooting by security forces. However, the article said it was 'a peaceful demonstration that had occupied the regent’s office in the middle of Deiyai city (West Papua)'.

If this is a truthful statement, could democracy be under threat in Papua?

The Isocracy Network in 2013 stated:

'Since then [In 1969, the United Nations supervised an "Act of Free Choice] the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) was established with the Republic of West Papua (1971) and has engaged in small-scale conflict, with several rebellions and riots. A major study conducted by Australian and local researchers published by Sydney University in 2005 concluded that security forces where the main source of instability, with an estimated one hundred thousand deaths resulting from the occupation process. Simple acts, such as displaying the "morning star" flag, are illegal in Indonesia', http://isocracy.org/content/achieving-freedom-and-democracy-west-papua.

That article also states, 'Indonesian security forces which operate in West Papua are trained by the Australian Federal Police'.

This would suggest there is a battle continuing for democracy in West Papua. What will Australia do if it is now training West Papuan security forces and this violence continues?