28 May 2013

Indonesia denies reports of massacre in Papua province

8:27 pm on 28 May 2013

The Indonesian embassy in New Zealand has dismissed claims there has been a mass killing in the remote province of Papua.

Last week a report emerged from the KNPB, or National Committee for West Papua, that up to 41 people had gone missing in the remote area of Tingginambut, which is reportedly controlled by Indonesian Kopassus troops.

Human rights groups, as well as the West Papua Media Alerts group, say up to 18 names have been confirmed of people whose mutilated bodies were found in ditches and in bags and sacks.

It is the same area where eight Kopassus troops were killed by guerilla fighters earlier this year.

Achmad Gozali, the Minister-Counsellor at the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington says the reports are untrue.

"That is a baseless accusation and of course we categorically deny the quote unquote reported killing. They just want to discredit the Indonesian government."

Achmad Gozali.