Indonesian police say exiled separatist fomenting Papua unrest, 85 arrested

FILE PHOTO: Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officer stands guard at a gas station in Jayapura, Papua, August 31, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picture taken August 31, 2019. Antara Foto/Zabur Karuru/ via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Police in Papua have arrested 85 suspects since ethnic unrest erupted in Indonesia's easternmost region in mid-August, a spokesman said, accusing a separatist leader based in Britain of fomenting Papua's most serious civil strife in years.

At least four people have been killed in the political violence following protests over perceived racial and ethnic discrimination, spread over two weeks in a string of Papuan towns.