Manokwari: Indonesia has imposed an internet blackout in the Papua and West Papua provinces, after sending 1500 officers, in an attempt to stem unrest triggered by the heavy-handed treatment of Papuan protesters on Java island from spreading, an official says.

Data communications have been shut down since Wednesday in the provinces "until the situation gets back to normal," Communications and Information Technology Ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu said on Thursday.

Police sent 1200 reinforcements to three West Papua districts, where most of the violence has taken place this week, spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said on Wednesday. The military has also sent 300 additional troops.

In the latest unrest, protesters torched a traditional market and government buildings in the town of Fakfak on Wednesday, police said, but insisted the situation was under control. </s> Indonesia shuts internet as tension rises in Papua

Indonesia's government shut off the internet after unrest in Papua

Indonesia has blocked internet access in the province of Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government has said.

Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia's easternmost territory.

A rebel insurgency against Jakarta's rule has simmered for decades in the island region, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.

But the riots appear to have been triggered by the arrest of dozens of Papuan students, who were also pelted with racist abuse, in Java at the weekend.

Indonesia slowed internet service in recent days to clamp down on hoaxes, provocative comments and racist abuse targeting Papua's ethnic Melanesian population, but it shut down service completely late last night.

"As of this morning, there is still a full block on internet access," said Indonesia's communications ministry spokesman, Ferdinandus Setu.

"The amount of racist and provocative content online was very high ... and it went viral."

The region's three internet providers cooperated with the shutdown, but many users managed to get around the block, Mr Setu said.

"The restrictions have not been that effective," he added.

"We're still evaluating the situation ... and will probably lift the block by this afternoon if possible."

Calm appeared to have been mostly restored today after Indonesia sent in 1,200 extra police and military to Papua, with some 45 protesters reportedly arrested. </s> Indonesia has cut off internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination, Reuters reports.

Police have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika – which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit – as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.

Indonesia’s chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong on Thursday to inspect where the protests erupted, but there were no reports of fresh demonstrations there.

While a separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, with frequent complaints of rights abuses leveled against Indonesian security forces, the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.

The students were arrested from their dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during a celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day.

Indonesia’s communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.

“This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he said, adding that the curb may be lifted “if the situation has calmed”.

Police have arrested 20 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, Dedi Prasetyo, a national police spokesman said by telephone from Sorong.

No arrests have been made in other Papuan towns, Prasetyo said.

Papua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized UN-backed referendum in 1969.

President Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Widodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces. He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. </s> Indonesia has cut off internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.

Police have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika - which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran's Indonesian unit - as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.

Smaller demonstrations and rallies in favor of Papua flared up throughout Indonesia on Thursday, while Indonesia's chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong on Thursday to inspect where the most violent protests had occurred.

Two new rallies, described as peaceful by officials, unfolded in the Nabire and Yahukimo parts of Papua, according to Indonesian news site Kompas.

A separate and more tense protest erupted on Thursday in Jakarta where more than a hundred Papuan students demonstrated in the heart of the Indonesian capital.

As they marched from the Indonesian army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, demonstrators shouted pro-independence slogans demanding "referendum for Papua" or "freedom for Papua".

Some held posters demanding the right to self-determination and "to end racism and colonialism in West Papua".

Another smaller Papuan student protest also started on Thursday in the nearby city of Bogor.

While a separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, with frequent complaints of rights abuses levelled against Indonesian security forces, the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.

The students were arrested from their dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during a celebration of Indonesia's Independence Day.

Indonesia's communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.

"This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred," he said, adding that the curb may be lifted "if the situation has calmed".

Police have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, officials told local media. They accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.

Papua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticised U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.

President Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Widodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces. He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month, to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. (Reporting By Jessica Damiana, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Tabita Diela Writing by Gayatri Suroyo and Fanny Potkin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Michael Perry) </s> JAKARTA: Indonesia has cut off Internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.

Police have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika – which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit – as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.

Smaller demonstrations and rallies in favour of Papua flared up throughout Indonesia yesterday, while Indonesia’s chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong to inspect where the most violent protests had occurred.

Two new rallies, described as peaceful by officials, unfolded in the Nabire and Yahukimo parts of Papua, according to Indonesian news site Kompas.

A separate and more tense protest erupted yesterday in Jakarta where more than a hundred Papuan students demonstrated in the heart of the Indonesian capital.

As they marched from the Indonesian army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, demonstrators shouted pro-independence slogans demanding “referendum for Papua” or “freedom for Papua”.

Some held posters demanding the right to self-determination and “to end racism and colonialism in West Papua”.

Another smaller Papuan student protest also started on Thursday in the nearby city of Bogor.

Indonesia’s communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.

“This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he said, adding that the curb may be lifted “if the situation has calmed”.

Police have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, officials told local media.

They accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.

President Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Widodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces.

He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month, to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. — Reuters </s> Indonesia has blocked internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government said Thursday.

Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia's easternmost territory.

A rebel insurgency against Jakarta's rule has simmered for decades in the island region, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.

But the riots appear to have been triggered by the arrest of dozens of Papuan students -- who were also pelted with racist abuse -- in Java at the weekend.

Indonesia slowed internet service in recent days to clamp down on hoaxes, provocative comments and racist abuse targeting Papua's ethnic Melanesian population. But it shut down service completely late Wednesday.

"As of this morning, there is still a full block on internet access," communications ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu told AFP.

"The amount of racist and provocative content online was very high... and it went viral."

The region's three internet providers cooperated with the shutdown, but many users managed to get around the block, Setu said.

"The restrictions have not been that effective," he added. "We're still evaluating the situation... and will probably lift the block by this afternoon if possible."

Calm appeared to have been mostly restored Thursday after Indonesia sent in 1,200 extra police and military to Papua, with some 45 protesters reportedly arrested.

Indonesia's chief security minister Wiranto, who goes by one name, flew to the island late Wednesday with the head of the military and Indonesia's national police chief.

They were expected to hold a press briefing Thursday in riot-hit Manokwari city.

In Jakarta, more than 100 demonstrators calling for Papuan independence scuffled with police near the presidential palace, while dozens of placard-holding demonstrators protested in Bali's capital Denpasar.

The unrest was sparked by reports that authorities tear-gassed and briefly detained some 43 Papuan university students in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-biggest city, on Saturday -- the country's independence day.

Police in riot gear stormed a dormitory to force out students who allegedly destroyed an Indonesian flag, as a group of protesters shouted racial slurs at them, calling them "monkeys" and "dogs".

Papua has been the scene of a decades-old rebel insurgency aimed at gaining independence from Indonesia, which took control of the former Dutch colony in the 1960s.

Security forces have long been accused of committing rights abuses against Papuans who say they have not shared in the region's vast mineral wealth. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police have detained dozens of people ahead of a West Papua independence protest on Monday.

At least 200 people were arrested in several cities in Papua and Java, said Veronica Koman, a lawyer for Papuan independence activist Filep Karma.

Monday is the 55th anniversary of the official declaration of an Indonesian military campaign to take control of Papua from the Dutch.

Koman said several people were arrested last week when they applied for demonstration permits.

She said the headquarters of the pro-independence National Committee for West Papua in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, was vandalized during a police raid on Monday.

The Dutch colonizers of the Indonesian archipelago held onto West Papua when Indonesia became independent after World War II. It became part of Indonesia following a U.N.-supervised referendum in 1969 criticized as undemocratic. </s> Indonesia's Papua province was hit by fresh unrest yesterday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests. Protesters torched a traditional market and other government buildings in the town of Fakfak in the latest violence, national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said. Iqbal said additional personnel would be sent to Manokwari and Sorong, where protesters set fire to buildings on Monday and Tuesday. "The situation is under control," Iqbal said. "We are prioritizing persuasive measures and communicating with community and religious leaders," he added.

Jakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory following riots triggered by the detention of dozens of Papuan students at the weekend. There were also demonstrations in the town of Fakfak on the western edge of the island, which is divided between the Indonesian province of West Papua and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. The latest protests come after several cities in resource-rich Papua were brought to a standstill this week, including in Manokwari where businesses and the local parliament building were set ablaze by angry demonstrators.

Indonesian security forces have intensified operations in Papua after separatist rebels killed about two dozen construction workers building a road in December. Separatists have fought for independence for the region since the 1960s. Papua and West Papua provinces make up the Indonesian half of New Guinea island. </s> TIMIKA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia has arrested 34 people and cut internet access in its easternmost region of Papua to rein in violence after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.

Police have flown in 1,200 more officers to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in towns such as Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak and Timika, near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit.

The communication ministry has blocked the internet and telecoms data to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday, although telephone calls and text messages are unaffected, said ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu.

“This is an effort to curb hoaxes and, most importantly, stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he added.

Smaller demonstrations and rallies in support of Papua flared nationwide on Thursday, while the chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong to inspect the sites of the most violent protests.

Official said two rallies in the Nabire and Yahukimo areas of Papua were peaceful, the Kompas news site said.

In Jakarta, the capital, more than a hundred Papuan students marched from army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, shouting pro-independence slogans demanding “Referendum for Papua” or “Freedom for Papua”.

Some held posters demanding the right to self-determination and an end to racism and colonialism in West Papua.

Papuan students also held a smaller protest in the nearby city of Bogor.

A separatist movement has simmered in Papua for decades, with frequent complaints of rights abuses by security forces, but the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.

The students were arrested and teargassed in a dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an Independence Day celebration.

President Joko Widodo has urged the army and police chiefs to act against officers who behaved in a “racist manner” towards students, his chief of staff told news channel CNN Indonesia.

Police have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, police said. They accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.

Papua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.

Widodo has sought to ease tension and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces.

He has visited the restive region more often than any of his predecessors, and plans to open a new bridge next month in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, his secretariat said.
Indonesia cuts off Internet in the provinces of Papua and West Papua amid pro-independence unrest.