11 Dec 2006

Clash leaves two dead in Indonesia's Papua province

12:33 pm on 11 December 2006

An Indonesian military official says two people including an Indonesian military officer were killed in a clash between security forces and separatists in the remote eastern province of Papua.

The clash happened after the officer and some residents tried to enter a separatist camp southwest of Jayapura, the capital of Indonesia's Papua province.

No other details were available.

Papuan independence activists have waged a campaign for more than 30 years to break away from Indonesia while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered for decades.

Human rights groups have accused the Indonesian military of widespread abuses in Papua.