Indonesia: Death toll mounts to 32 after new West Papua clashes
The death toll resulting from the latest violent protests in Indonesia’s West Papua region has risen to 32, as President Joko Widodo appealed against the spread of fake news that provoked the clashes.
Ahmad Kamal, police spokesman in Papua province, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that 28 demonstrators were now confirmed killed, and 66 others injured during the protest on Monday in the city of Wamena.
That brings the death toll to 32 including the three demonstrators and one military officer, who were confirmed killed on Monday in Jayapura, Papua’s capital city.
Late on Monday, the president, also known as Jokowi, appealed to residents of West Papua “not to be provoked by a hoax”, the common term used in Indonesia to refer to fake news.