Papua is facing an influx of Indonesian military personnel as indigenous leaders call for a boycott of Indonesia's upcoming elections.
The presidential election will be held on July 9th and regional military in Papua have put the province's security forces on full alert.
Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo campaigning in Jayapura. Photo: AFP
Amelia Langford reports.
"That is Benny Wenda calling for "boycott." The UK-based West Papuan independence activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Benny Wenda has called for West Papuans to boycott the upcoming election. Local media report as many as 2300 military personnel have been deployed to the province to boost security during the elections. The Australia West Papua Association says the security forces appears to be targeting civil society groups who are calling for the boycott.
Meanwhile, the Papuan separatist group, the National Committee for West Papua, has reported that six of its members have been arrested and beaten. The group alleges the six were arrested for distributing leaflets calling on West Papuans to boycott the election."
