Indonesia arrests 34, blocks internet in Papua to curb protests

Indonesiahas arrested34people and cutinternetaccess in its easternmost region ofPapuato rein in violence after protesters torched buildings, a market and prison over the mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.

Police have flown in 1,200 more officers to quell sometimes violentprotestssince Monday in towns such as Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak and Timika, near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran'sIndonesian unit.

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

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"This is an effort tocurbhoaxes and, most importantly, stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred," he added.

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

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

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

An official said two rallies in the Nabire and Yahukimo areas ofPapuawere peaceful, the Kompas news site said.

In Jakarta, the capital, more than a hundredPapuan students marched from army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, shouting pro-independence slogans demanding "Referendum forPapua" or "Freedom forPapua".

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

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

President Joko Widodo told reporters he would invite religious and community leaders from acrossPapuafor talks next week.

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 CNNIndonesia.

Police have arrested34people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw stones at a parliament building, houses, shops, and a hotel on Wednesday, police said.

They accused 13 of being members of a pro-Papu an independence separatist group.

Papuaand WestPapuaprovinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated intoIndonesiaafter a widely criticised UN-backed referendum in 1969.

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

He has visited the region more often than any of his predecessors, and plans to open a bridge next month in Jayapura, the capital ofPapuaprovince, his secretariat said.