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Indonesia is bolstering its military presence in disputed Papua province, following the assassination of a senior military officer on April 26.
On Sunday, Indonesian media outlets reportedthat the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) had deployed 400 members of the elite Infantry Battalion 315 to Papua after the completion of a month of special training at the end of April.
Nicknamed
pasukan setan, or “Satan’s forces” in Indonesian, the battalion has previously taken part in conflicts in East Timor and Aceh. A video, purported to feature the battalion executing a series of menacing drills on arrival in Papua, also surfaced on social media on May 1.
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) Authorities say an Indonesian police officer and five Papuan independence fighters have been killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group in restive Papua province. The clashes began early this month after rebels set fire to several schools and shot to death two teachers in part of the province. Police, military and intelligence forces joined together to find the attackers, who authorities believe belong to the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization. Tuesday’s clash happened two days after a brigadier general who led Papua’s intelligence agency was killed in a rebel ambush in the district.
Indonesian police: Clash in Papua killed 5 rebels, 1 police wkow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wkow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ironically, with the annual World Press Freedom Day being observed on Monday many commentors also warn about the increased dangers for journalists covering the conflict.
Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy chairperson Hendardi (Indonesians often have a single name) has criticised the government’s move against “armed criminal groups” in Papua, or “KKB)”, as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) armed wing is described by military authorities.
The move to designate them as terrorists is seen as a short-cut and an expression of the government’s “desperation” in dealing with the Papuan struggle for independence.
“The labeling of resistance groups in Papua will not break the long and recurring cycle of violence”, Hendardi said, according to a report in