Baliem Valley campaign

The Baliem Valley campaign or also known as the Central Highlands campaign and the Baliem Valley massacre or the Central Highlands massacre refers to a period of over a year from early July 1977 to late August 1978 when the Indonesian Armed Forces and Air Force, supported by Australian forces, conducted a series of ground and aerial attacks against the Free Papua Movement(or Free Papua Organization, in indonesian language: Organisasi Papua Merdeka or OPM ) and the West Papua National Liberation Army during Operation Cenderawasih (Bird of Paradise). The campaign was conducted in the Central Highlands region of Western New Guinea. The campaign was mainly centered in the area in and around the Baliem Valley in Jayawijaya Regency which was then in the province of Irian Jaya, but now is in the province of Highland Papua. Some of the campaign also took place in the neighboring Paniai Regency which is now in the present day Central Papua province.

During the campaign the Indonesian Army allegedly committed attacks on civilian targets, as well as allegedly deliberately targeting valley's ecosystem. Violence against the indigenous and attacks by the OPM against the Indonesian military are still common in region. In 2013 the Australian Defence Force denied that it had been involved in the campaign, but this denial is not supported by contemporaneous reporting on the campaign.