INDONESIA – At least 21 people were killed and dozens were injured after hundreds of protesters, mostly high school students, set fire to several buildings in Papua province.
Among the dead were those trapped inside the buildings in Wamena City.
The protests on Monday – the latest violence in the region – were allegedly triggered by a teacher’s racist comments.
Meanwhile, four people died in a separate incident in the provincial capital of Jayapura where a mob of students reportedly attacked a soldier and police officers with machetes and rocks, bringing the total death toll to 25.
Last month, the region has been rocked by mass demonstrations in response to claims of racism.
The previous protests stemmed from an incident where nationalist groups accused Papuan university students in Surabaya of damaging an Indonesian flag during Independence Day celebrations.(BBC)
