Indonesian President calls for calm after protesters set buildings ablaze in Papua

Record ID: 1429365

  • Title: Indonesian President calls for calm after protesters set buildings ablaze in Papua
  • Date: 30th August 2019
  • Summary: JAYAPURA, PAPUA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE SITTING ON ROADSIDE
  • Embargoed: 13th September 2019 04:31
  • Keywords: Papua Civil Unrest President Joko Widodo last situation
  • Location: JAYAPURA, PURWOREJO, INDONESIA
  • City: JAYAPURA, PURWOREJO, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
  • Reuters ID: LVA007AUERFBB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for calm on Thursday (August 29) after protesters in the easternmost region of Papua set fire to government buildings.
    The region has been racked by civil unrest for two weeks over perceived racial and ethnic discrimination. Some protesters are also demanding an independence vote - a move ruled out by the security minister on Thursday.
    Widodo told journalists while on a working visit to Purworejo that they will take action on the perpetrators and provide security for the residents.
    Police have deployed 300 mobile brigade personnel to the towns of Deiyai, Paniai and Jayapura after Wednesday's (August 28) incident, local media reported.
    A separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, while there have also been frequent complaints of rights abuses by Indonesian security forces.
    The spark for the latest unrest was a racist slur against Papuan students, who were hit by tear gas in their dormitory and detained in the city of Surabaya on the main island of Java on August 17, Indonesia's Independence Day, for allegedly desecrating a national flag.
    (Production: Heru Asprihanto, Peter Blaza)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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