Protesters burn buildings in Indonesia’s Papua
Posted September 22, 2019 11:02 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Hundreds of protesters in Indonesia’s restive Papua province have set fire to homes and other buildings.
Papua police chief Rudolf Alberth Rodja says Monday’s demonstration was sparked by rumours that a high school teacher in Papua’s Wamena city called students “monkeys.”
He says the angry mob set fire to local government buildings, shops, homes and motorbikes.
Television footage showed black smoke billowing from the burning buildings.
Rodja says a police investigation did not find any racist comments made about the students.
Monday’s protest came days after Indonesian authorities managed to get the province under control after weeks of violent protests against racism in the region, where an insurgency has simmered for decades.
The Associated Press
