In Papua providence, Indonesian police beat and killed civilians and raped women during operations against separatists, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

Human Rights Watch interviewed alleged victims and witness, all of whom spoke anonymously due to fears of reprisal.

The report cited investigations of eight alleged killings by police and military since 2005, and several beatings. Human Rights Watch also reported two cases of rape.

Papua became part off Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot, which has since been dismissed as a sham.

A separatist insurgency started in the majority Christian region in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Tens of thousands have died because of military action by Indonesian forces.

About 100 Papuans demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to demand an independence referendum.

Human Rights Watch said the abuse deepened mistrust of the national government and risked fueling separatist tensions in the region.

Human Rights Watch urged the government to open Papua to independent observers, and to allow independent and transparent investigations of rights abuses.

For more information, please see:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/05/asia/AS-GEN-Indonesia-Papua-Human-Rights.php

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK225319.htm

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070705160128&irec=19

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/286636/1/.html