Yet one witness account from inside the Wamena general hospital suggests there were more, and that many of the dead were children. Sources on the ground say police and military are guarding the Wamena hospital, effectively blocking access to anyone who tries to independently verify the number of fatalities. The Guardian has been provided with a list of 65 names of Papuans said to be at Wamena hospital suffering gunshot wounds and “injuries from sharp weapons”. In recent weeks more than 1,000 Papuan students have returned home from other areas in Indonesia, fuelled by anger over racism that Papuans say they have long endured. “Papuan students are tired of racism and want to stand up for themselves,” Linus Hiluka, a former political prisoner who lives in Wamena, told the Guardian.

Source: The Guardian September 28, 2019 00:11 UTC