2) Illegal border crosser pair put in quarantine, says PNG minister
3) Papuan female figure praises military, police for helping residents
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https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rebels-killed-clash-indonesias-papua-region-69619041
1) 4 rebels killed in clash in Indonesia's Papua region
Police and rebels say four Papuan independence fighters have been killed in a clash between security forces and a rebel group near the world's largest gold mine in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region
TIMIKA, Indonesia -- Four Papuan independence fighters were killed in an ongoing clash between security forces and a rebel group near the world's largest gold mine in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region, police and rebels said Monday.
The clashes, which began Feb. 29 near the Grasberg copper and gold mine in Papua province, earlier killed two security personnel and injured three others. Police said the attackers are believed to be members of the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the Free Papua Organization.
Rebels in Papua have been fighting a low-level insurgency since the early 1960s, when Indonesia annexed the region, a former Dutch colony. Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many.
Papua police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said a joint military and police force killed four of the Papuan fighters, including a woman, in a battle with dozens of rebels armed with military-grade weapons as well as axes and arrows in Kali Bua village in Mimika district near the mining town of Tembagapura.
Kamal said security forces seized three assault rifles, five arrows and an axe during the clash. He said the rifles were identified as police weapons that had been stolen by rebels when they attacked police posts in 2012 and 2014.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the liberation army, confirmed the police claim, adding that two other fighters were injured in the battle.
Attacks by rebels near the Grasberg mine have spiked in the past year.
The mine, which is nearly half owned by U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan and is run by PT Freeport Indonesia, is seen by separatists as a symbol of Indonesian rule and has been a frequent target for rebels.
The current shootout caused about 2,000 villagers to flee for safety to neighboring Timika city.
The Grasberg mine's vast gold and copper reserves have been exploited for decades by Freeport-McMoRan, damaging the surrounding environmentwhile providing significant tax income for the Indonesian government.
But indigenous Papuans have benefited little and are poorer, sicker and more likely to die young than people elsewhere in Indonesia.
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2) Illegal border crosser pair put in quarantine, says PNG minister
11:04 am on 16 March 2020
Two Australians who crossed illegally into Papua New Guinea from Indonesia must spend two weeks quarantined, says PNG's health minister
The pair, who according to PNG authorities were born in West Papua, are being confined in the northern town of Vanimo.
They were referred to a West Sepik magistrate after being found to have illegally crossed the border with Indonesia.
The border is currently closed as a precaution against the potential spread of Covid-19.
EMTV reports the minister, Jelta Wong, saying it was primarily a border issue.
"Because of our immigration laws we were lucky that our officers picked them up, and they were quarantined because of the law.
"Even though they didn't have any Covid-19, they have to follow the system and they have to stay in quarantine for 14 days.”
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3) Papuan female figure praises military, police for helping residents
17 hours ago
Jayapura,Papua (ANTARA) - Female figure of Kamoro tribe in Papua's Mimika District Agustina Yatanea has praised security agencies for extending humanitarian aid to the people of Tembagapura Sub-district.
"Let me express our gratitude to the Indonesian military and police for their presence in Timika particularly to maintain peace and order and give us a sense of security and a peace of mind," she said in a press statement released on Saturday.
The presence of military and police personnel in the country's largest copper and gold producing region has made the local people convenient to carry out their daily activities, she said.
"We feel secure and convenient to carry out activities thanks to the presence of the Indonesian military and police," she remarked.
Residents of several villages in Tembagapura, Mimika, received inhuman treatment from an armed criminal group in the region recently.
The presence of the armed criminal group in Tembagapura has made local residents upset, prompting them to seek assistance from the military and police.
Earlier, the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) Chapter in Sentani Sub-district, Jayapura District, Papua, also praised the Indonesian military and police for evacuating some 800 villagers from the mountainous area in Timika to Timika City to avoid acts of terror by the armed criminal group
"The vile act committed by the armed criminal group against the people of Tembagapura District is worthy of condemnation," Chief of the KNPI Chapter Flice Arwin Yoku said in a press statement recent;ly.
Related news: Minister urges TNI, Police to bolster security in Papua
Related news: 800 villagers evacuated to Timika City to evade rebels' terror
"Let me express our gratitude to the Indonesian military and police for their presence in Timika particularly to maintain peace and order and give us a sense of security and a peace of mind," she said in a press statement released on Saturday.
The presence of military and police personnel in the country's largest copper and gold producing region has made the local people convenient to carry out their daily activities, she said.
"We feel secure and convenient to carry out activities thanks to the presence of the Indonesian military and police," she remarked.
Residents of several villages in Tembagapura, Mimika, received inhuman treatment from an armed criminal group in the region recently.
The presence of the armed criminal group in Tembagapura has made local residents upset, prompting them to seek assistance from the military and police.
Earlier, the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) Chapter in Sentani Sub-district, Jayapura District, Papua, also praised the Indonesian military and police for evacuating some 800 villagers from the mountainous area in Timika to Timika City to avoid acts of terror by the armed criminal group
"The vile act committed by the armed criminal group against the people of Tembagapura District is worthy of condemnation," Chief of the KNPI Chapter Flice Arwin Yoku said in a press statement recent;ly.
Related news: Minister urges TNI, Police to bolster security in Papua
Related news: 800 villagers evacuated to Timika City to evade rebels' terror
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