LATimes.com, April 10, 2006, 8:14 PM PDT
4 Die in Indonesia Clash, Officials Say
By Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Separatist rebels armed with bows and arrows stormed a
military post in Papua province, sparking a battle that killed two soldiers and two
attackers, an official said Tuesday.
About 30 rebels attacked the post close to the province's border with Papua New
Guinea on Monday as soldiers operated a free health clinic for local villagers, said
Maj. Gen Sunarto, who goes by one name.
Most of the assailants were armed with primitive weapons, including bows and arrows
and axes, but one had an AK-47 assault rife, Sunarto said.
"This event is proof that there is a threat from separatists in the region," said Sunarto.
"The country must unite and fight them."
Independence activists and a small band of rebels have waged a decades-long
rebellion for a separate Papua state, which is one of Indonesia's poorest regions
despite abundant supplies of gas, timber, gold and copper.
International human rights groups claim at least 100,000 Papuans -- a sixth of the
population -- have died as a result of military action by Indonesian forces dealing with
the insurgency.
Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times
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