24 Oct 2017

Papuan village says police burnt down house

2:31 pm on 24 October 2017

An indigenous community in Indonesia's Papua region claim a house in the village of Utikini was razed to the ground by Indonesian Military Police.

Utikini Village in Tembagapura

Utikini Village in Tembagapura Photo: supplied

Community leaders said, last Saturday, police came to the village and set fire to the house, which was destroyed, along with livestock.

The leaders, Tambua Wakerkwa and Yulianus Tabuni, said their people were now living in fear.

They have called upon the Indonesian president Joko Widodo to command the military to stop harassing them.

The leaders claim the incident was sparked by the shooting of a car belonging to the PT Freeport mining company.

But they said none of their people were involved in the shooting.

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