8 Killed as Separatists, Police Clash in Indonesian Province

Tensions between Indonesian forces and separatists pushing for Irian Jaya’s independence exploded into violence Saturday when police fired on a group wielding bows and arrows during a clash. Eight people were killed.

Gen. Sylvanus Wenas, a top police commander in the troubled province, said the two sides clashed after the separatists tried to raise an outlawed rebel flag in the southeastern town of Merauke. He said the independence supporters challenged police during the flag-raising ceremony and fired arrows at settlers from other parts of Indonesia, wounding three.

Wenas said seven separatists were killed. Local police said an eighth man, a taxi driver from Java island, died of his injuries later. It was not known whether the taxi driver was one of the settlers, nor was it clear whether the separatists physically attacked police before the officers opened fire.

The deaths bring to 10 the number of people killed in two days as the restive province marks the anniversary of a failed 1961 independence bid.

Irian Jaya, a mineral-rich, jungle-covered province about 2,400 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, is one of several regions pushing for more freedom from Indonesia.

On Saturday, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid announced a wide-ranging development package for the embattled Aceh province about 1,100 miles northwest of Jakarta, apparently to defuse growing demands for independence there.