Alleged rebel gunned down

JAYAPURA, Papua: Indonesian military (TNI) and police personnel shot dead an alleged Papuan rebel, whose group went on a rampage in Tinggi Nambut hamlet, Puncak Jaya regency, last week, a top Army officer said on Friday.

Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal, the chief of Trikora military command overseeing military affairs in Papua, said that the alleged rebel had been shot dead during an armed clash on Thursday morning on Lima Jari hill, some 12 kilometers from Mulia city, the capital of Puncak Jaya regency.

The joint team said a rifle had been recovered from the dead man, while the other alleged rebels had fled the scene. A group of Papuans shot five Makassar migrants dead, and torched houses and government buildings in Tinggi Nambut hamlet last week. -- JP