6 Apr 2005

Human rights group decries Indonesian military's increased troops in Papua

1:14 pm on 6 April 2005

A human rights group says the Indonesian military's decision to increase the number of troops in Papua would undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution in the province.

The British-based Indonesia Human Rights Campaign wrote to the British Foreign Office Minister, Douglas Alexander, last week about the issue last week.

The group called on Mr Alexander to put pressure on the Indonesian authorities to halt ongoing military operations and end the build-up of troops in Papua.

Last month, the Indonesian army announced plans to increase the number of troops in the area by 15,000 over five years.