Armed separatists occupy villages in Indonesia’s Papua

JAYAPURA: A group of armed separatists were occupying two villages near a huge US-owned copper mine in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province, police said Friday, as they sought to end the tense standoff.

Around 1,300 residents were being held hostage by a two-dozen strong group that authorities said was part of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which has been fighting a long-running insurgency marked by periodic bouts of violence.