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August 23, 2019

Indonesia Deploys Troops to Quell Independence Protests in West Papua
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Indonesia has deployed 1,200 additional troops to West Papua and cut off
internet access as thousands of protesters in the Indonesian territory
have stepped up their demands for independence. The latest protests came
after a group of ethnic Papuan students in East Java were accused of
desecrating an Indonesian flag and taunted by nationalists as "monkeys,"
"pigs" and "dogs." They were then tear-gassed in their dormitories by
security forces. The incident sparked protests in at least six areas of
West Papua, with pro-independence groups setting fires to government
buildings, including a prison where some 250 prisoners escaped.


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