Authorities in Indonesia say a West Papuan militant group is holding hundreds of villagers hostage in Mimika regency.
According to Indonesian police, five shops were set ablaze only about 100 meters from a Police dormitory in Mimika regency. Photo: Papua Police
The Papua province regency in has been plagued by violence in the past month, including shootings near the Freeport gold mine.
Police say an armed West Papuan separatist gang are holding 1300 Papuans hostage in Kimbely and Banti villages near the mine.
Indonesian officials have released video footage of an armed Papuan group assaulting several men held captive in a village.
Papua Chief of Police, Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar said the armed group took away all the belongings of the villagers, and set fire to a number of properties in the region.
He said police were taking a "persuasive and preventative approach" to end the hostage situation.
The armed militants are being linked to the recent shooting attacks since mid-August along the road near Tembagapura, about 10 kilometres from the mine.
Hundreds of additional military personnel have been deployed to the area after the shootings which left one police officer dead and injured six other people.