Indonesian authorities say two Papua attacks kill three
Indonesian officials said three people were killed and many others were injured in shootings in two different areas in the country’s easternmost Papua region, including near the operations of gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia.
The pilot and co-pilot of a small commercial Smartair plane died when attackers opened fire on the plane as it was landing at Korowai airport in Boven Digoel, South Papua province, on Wednesday morning, police spokesman Cahyo Sukarnito said.
In addition to the two pilots, there were 13 passengers on the plane.
When the conflict began, the pilots and passengers abandoned the plane and fled into a nearby forest, he said.
The pilot and co-pilot died, but none of the passengers were harmed.
Asked if Papuan rebel groups were suspected, Cahyo said it was unclear who carried out the attack.
Smartair did not respond to a request for comment.
Separately, the Indonesian military said the Free Papua Movement rebel group attacked a convoy of PT Freeport Indonesia, owned by US miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc., killing one soldier and wounding another officer and a Freeport employee.
Freeport Indonesia said the attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon on the main road to the mining town of Tembagapura, leading to the temporary closure of access to the area.
The rebel group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In resource-rich Papua, a low-level but increasingly deadly conflict has flared between security forces and separatists since the territory was brought under Indonesian control in a United Nations-supervised vote in 1969; this process is still debated by independence supporters.
