REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAYAPURA -- A clash between Indonesian soldiers and armed separatists flared in Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya District, on Wednesday when people in other parts of Papua Province flocked to polling stations.
Antara learned from the military sources here that the Cendrawasih Military Command's Battalion 751 personnel succeeded in confiscating an AR-15 rifle from the separatists.
The lightweight rifle might belong to the Indonesian Police's Mobile Brigade, the military sources said.
The security situation in the easternmost province of Indonesia remains fragile. On April 5, an exchange of fire between the military personnel and armed rebels also occurred in the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border area.
An army soldier named Tugino and Jayapura Police Chief Ajunct Senior Commissioner Alfred Papare sustained injuries, caused by the remnants of bullets.
The incident occurred when the Indonesian security personnel were checking the situation around the border area shortly after the armed civilians hoisted the outlawed Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag at a lighthouse there.
Following the clash on April 5, Indonesia closed the boundary fence bordering Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Skouw-Wutung area.
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