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One child killed, one wounded in clash in Papua; hundreds flee
The separatists have waged a low-level campaign for independence in the resource-rich region for decades, saying a 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations that brought the former Dutch colony under Indonesian control was illegitimate.
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Indonesian soldiers take part in preparations to boost security on the eve of Idul Fitri in Timika, Papua on May 12, 2021, as Muslims mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. (AFP/Sevianto Pakiding)
A
child was killed and one wounded in Indonesia's easternmost Papua region, a security spokesman said, in a rare flare up in an old insurgency when government forces clashed with separatist insurgents.
The separatists have waged a low-level campaign for independence in the resource-rich region for decades, saying a 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations that brought the former Dutch colony under Indonesian control was illegitimate.
Indonesia rejects that.
Authorities said in a statement on Thursday that separatists shot at a police station and a military post in the area of Intan Jaya, and the security forces fired back.
"In the shooting, two kids and their parents were doing an activity around their house, so they became the target of armed criminals," Sr. Comr. Ahmad Mustofa Kamal, spokesman for joint military and police forces in Papua, said in the statement, confirming one child was killed and one wounded.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the Papuan separatists, said the joint forces killed the child in the gunfight on Tuesday. The authorities did not say what day the clash occurred.
Neither Sambom nor Kamal gave more details of the casualties but the Suara Papua news portal said the child who was killed was aged two and the one who was wounded was six.
