Jakarta - At least 20 people were killed and scores injured on
Monday as new violence erupted in Indonesia's rebellious Papua
province, officials said.
Sixteen civilians were killed and 65 injured in the town of
Wamena in a riot sparked by a rumour that a teacher made racist
comments to indigenous Papuans, provincial military spokesman Eko
Daryanto said.
"We are still collecting information but so far we have 16 dead," Eko
told dpa.
He said the dead victims were mostly migrants from outside Papua.
Provincial health chief Aloysius Giyai said earlier that four people,
including a soldier, were killed and 10 injured in clashes between
security forces and student protesters in Jayapura, about 250
kilometres from Wamena.
"The cause of the deaths is still being examined," Giyai told dpa.
Two weeks of unrest between late August and early September left at
least five people in Papua and West Papua provinces dead. It was
sparked by perceived heavy-handed and racist treatment of Papuan
students by security personnel on Java island.
Protesters in Wamena set fire to the district office and
commercial buildings, police said.
National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said security personnel were
struggling to put the situation under control.
"We are trying to prevent the anarchic action from spreading," he
told reporters.
A Papuan news website, Jubi.co.id, said the arson attack occurred
after security forces fired tear gas and warning shots.
The protest involved hundreds of senior high-school students, who
were angered by a rumour that a non-indigenous teacher had called
Papuans "monkeys."
Police said an investigation found that the rumour was a hoax.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged the public not to fall for
baseless rumours designed to destabilize the country.
"The anarchic action started with fake news," Joko said.
"I appeal to the public to cross-check any information they see on
social media," Joko said.
Authorities imposed an internet blackout on Papua and West Papua
provinces on August 21 in an attempt to restore order after
protesters set fire to buildings and attacked security forces.
Internet services have since been restored.
The two weeks of protest saw thousands of people march through the
streets of the two provinces, many chanting "Free Papua!"
Authorities in Jakarta said five people were killed during
that unrest, but local activists said they recorded at least 13
deaths.
The mainly Melanesian region, which makes up the Indonesian half of
New Guinea island, has been the scene of low-level separatist
insurgency since the 1960s.