Rebel leader killed in clash between separatists

JAKARTA (JP): An Irian Jaya rebel leader was shot dead in a clash between rival separatist groups, a report said on Thursday.

Antara news agency quoted Irian Jaya Military Commander Maj. Gen. Albert Inkiriwang as saying the clash between separatist rebels occurred on Tuesday in Sandaun province in neighboring Papua New Guinea.

He identified the dead rebel leader as Hans Bomay, who was killed by members of an armed group led by Mathias Wenda.

The report could not be independently confirmed.

Bomay led a rebel raid last May on a housing project in the town of Arso, Irian Jaya, in which 11 people were captured. The hostages were eventually moved to a camp across the border in Papua New Guinea, where they were eventually rescued by Papua New Guinean security forces.

Wenda is another rebel leader whose followers also have made occasional forays into Indonesian territory.

The Free Papua Movement has been fighting for an independent Melanesian state since 1963, when Indonesia occupied the former Dutch colony.

Indonesian sovereignty was formalized in 1969 by an assembly of village chiefs who favored incorporation.

It is widely believed the Indonesian Army has been guilty of human rights abuses during a series of anti-insurgency operations in the natural resource-rich province. (byg)