Govt sorry for ‘excessive force’ against deaf Papuan

Despicable act: A screencap showing an Indonesian air force officer holding down the deaf Papuan man while another officer pins his head down using his foot in Merauke town, Papua. — Photo taken from Twitter

The Indonesian government has apologised for the actions of two air force officers whom it said used “excessive force” to pin down the head of a deaf, indigenous Papuan man after a video of the incident was shared online, drawing widespread condemnation.

Tensions have long simmered between Indonesian security forces and the indigenous people of Papua, a remote and resource-rich region that was brought under Indonesian control after a controversial but United Nations-sanctioned vote in 1969.