11 Mar 2009

Indonesian pair killed in Papua

7:46 pm on 11 March 2009

Two Indonesians have been shot dead and two others wounded in a reported attack in Indonesia's restive Papua province.

The AFp news agency reports that local police in Puncak Jaya say two men, aged 25 and 35, were killed as they rode motorcycles in the district.

The local police chief Criss Rihulay said a 19-year-old woman is also in a critical condition, while an investigation into the alleged attack is underway.

Police shot dead two Papuans in firefights in January and February in the remote mountain district, following a raid by armed men who stole weapons from a police post.

Puncak Jaya is a stronghold of the separatist group Free Papua Organisation (OPM) but the police chief said they had no evidence the attack was carried out by the OPM.