JAKARTA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- As many as 20 people were killed and 70 others wounded as protests turned to violence in Indonesia's eastern Papua province on Monday, military spokesman in the province Colonel Eko Daryanto said.
The unrest broke out in two places, Wamena and Waena of the province, the spokesman revealed.
In Wamena, 16 people were dead and 65 others suffered from injuries, and in Waena four people were killed, including one soldier, and five personnel of police mobile brigade unit were injured, Eko said.
"Most of the victims were found inside shop buildings which were set fire by protesters. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will check them again," he told Xinhua via phone from the province.
So far, the spokesman said, the situation has been conducive in the province, but military and police personnel remain on guard in anticipating the possibility of deteriorating security situation.
Hundreds of protesters on Monday torched down homes and other buildings in the province in a protest triggered by rumors that a high school teacher had insulted students with racist words, forcing a closure of an airport, a police official said.
