24 Jan 2006

Calm restored after protest in capital of Indonesia's Papua

10:21 am on 24 January 2006

Calm has been restored in the regional capital of Papua in Indonesia after about 200 protesters stormed the parliament building in Jayapura.

The Associated Press news agency reports witnesses as saying the demonstrators barged past police officers guarding the building, shouting the slogan "Indonesian troops get out of West Papua!"

The state news agency Antara reports two policemen were injured in the melee.

Authorities in Jayapura were not available for comment.

Security forces have been blamed for opening fire on a group of protesters outside a police station in Paniai in the central Highlands of Papua last week, killing one of them.

The incident is not being linked to the detention by Australia of 43 Papuans in its territory of Christmas Island, after they arrived in Queensland following a six-day canoe voyage from Merauke.

Some of the boatpeople are said to have come from Paniai.