The Papua Police are negotiating with a group of some 150 people who have since Sunday blocked access to an airport in Kapeso district, Mamberamo Raya regency.
"We've asked them not to block or close the airport," police chief Insp. Gen. Bagus Ekodantu said Tuesday morning as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
The airport is located in a newly establish regency, 490 kilometers from the provincial capital Jayapura.
The blockade has disrupted the distribution of commodities from outside Mamberamo Raya.
The police, according to Bagus, had yet to know for sure the motive behind the blockade. They were informed the group wanted to communicate its demands to them.
"But we have yet to receive confirmation of that," Bagus said.
"We're having problems with our communication. We have yet to be able to establish direct contact with them."
He added the police would deploy personnel to Kapeso, saying it would take stern action if the negotiations ended in deadlock.
State news agency Antara reported the group comprised members of the armed separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) led by Alek Wakabori and Deky Imbiri.
Apart from blocking off the airport, the group has also prevented local residents from leaving the region.
"The separatist group has also hoisted the Bintang Kejora flag," said Bagus, referring to the separatist flag.
The group, he went on, reportedly also owned a number of traditional and improvised weapons.
"They're preventing all activities around the Mamberamo River," he said.
Bagus added the OPM had occupied the airport by erecting dwellings on it.
They also took over the radio communication device of a church located near Lake Kapeso.
Bagus said coordination between the police and local churches, prominent ethnic figures, community figures and youth leaders had also been done to open dialogue with the occupying group.
"We have agreed to give them the opportunity to negotiate with the armed group," he said.
Bagus added they were scheduled to come to Kapeso district soon on the KM Papua II ship with a number of personnel from the Papua Police accompanying them.
"If after a set amount of time the negotiations result in nothing, we will conduct a police action to normalize the situation so that the local community can carry on with its own activities," he said.
