30 Sep 2015

Reports two students shot in West Papua

8:55 am on 30 September 2015

A West Papuan human rights campaigner says a 17-year-old high school student was shot dead on Monday in Timika in the Indonesian province.

Timika, Papua province, Indonesia

Timika, Papua province, Indonesia Photo: Istimewa

Australia-based Paula Makabory says another student was badly wounded when the two students were pursued by security forces.

She says the police were pursuing them because their fathers are said to be members of the rebel organisation, the Free West Papua movement, the OPM.

Ms Makabory says a major hunt involving dozens of security personnel was mounted to find the students, who were traced to a house.

"The boys got scared. They ran out. That is when one of the boys got shot by the police and the other one also got shot. The one, named Caleb Bagau, 17 years old, died in the crime scene. The other one, named Efrando, 17 years old, in critical condition."

Paula Makabory says a similar incident occurred a month ago in Timika when two West Papuans were shot dead by Indonesian soldiers.

Latest killings show need for West Papua mission - activist

She says this comes after similar killings of two West Papuan men in the same area a month ago.

Ms Makabory says a proposed Pacific Islands Forum fact finding mission to the region must go ahead, despite Indonesian opposition.

"That these things happen mean that Indonesia cannot close or isolate West Papua and kill the young people there, to kill the generations there. No, this cannot be done. I mean Australia and New Zealand should wake up to see what happened to West Papuan human rights."

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs