Indonesia hunts separatists accused of massacring construction workers in Papua
- Previous local media reports pegged the number of dead between 24 and 31, but authorities have yet to confirm any killings
- Jakarta keeps a tight grip on Papua, which experienced several spasms of violence recently, including the killing of three local people
Indonesian soldiers hunted on Wednesday for rebels suspected of killing a group of 24 construction workers in restive Papua province, as an eyewitness account supplied by the military described a grisly mass execution.
The survivor’s account detailed the killing of at least 19 people, which if confirmed would mark the deadliest bout of violence in years to hit a region wracked for decades by a low-level independence insurgency.
A Facebook account purportedly run by the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB) said the armed group had killed 24 workers on the orders of regional commander Ekianus Kogoya. Authorities have yet to confirm how many were killed in the weekend attack.
On Wednesday, some 150 military personnel were focusing their operation at Nduga, a remote mountainous region where a state-owned contractor has been building bridges and roads as part of efforts to boost infrastructure.
Some Papuans resent Indonesia’s building efforts, saying it is a way to exert more control over a region that shares a border with Papua New Guinea, an independent island nation.
