Rebel gunmen kill 8 technicians in Indonesia’s restive Papua

By ALFIAN KARTONO
Associated Press

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities and Papua rebels say separatists killed eight technicians repairing a telecommunications tower in the province. A military spokesperson said gunmen stormed Telkomsel’s tower while the workers were fixing its transceiver Wednesday in a mountainous village accessible by helicopter. The district is a stronghold of separatists who have battled Indonesian rule since the 1960s. Police said one technician escaped and called for help through a tower security camera. The video was monitored at company headquarters three hours later, and the survivor is waiting for rescue. The government is trying to spur economic development in Papua to dampen the separatist movement, but workers involved in the projects are considered outsiders by the rebels.