Papuan independence leader Victor Yeimo. (Photo: thestar.com.my) Tension has reignited in recent weeks in Indonesia's easternmost provinces, with President Joko Widodo calling for a crackdown after a senior intelligence figure was killed on April 25, and with an additional 400 troops deployed there.
Yeimo, 38, who is the international spokesman of the so-called West Papua National Committee, was arrested in the provincial capital of Jayapura on May 9 and is being questioned, said national police spokesman Iqbal Alqudusy.
Police accuse Yeimo of being the "mastermind" behind the civil unrest and of committing treason, as well as inciting violence and social unrest, insulting the national flag and anthem, and carrying weapons without a permit.
The Indonesian government has recently designated Papuan independence fighters as “terrorists.”/.
VNA
