Indonesia Military admits Papua 'torture'
http://video.ahrchk.net/AHRC-VID-012-2010-Indonesia.html
Indonesia has admitted that the men seen torturing Papuan villagers in a video uploaded on the internet earlier this week are members of the military.
The minister for security said the soldiers' actions were excessive and unprofessional.
The military says the investigation is still under way.
The video has caused international outrage and raised concerns about the US's recent decision to renew ties with Indonesia's army.
The grainy and badly-shot footage shows men dressed in military uniforms, kicking and abusing indigenous Papuan villagers.
The men are seen interrogating the villagers, and accusing them of having links to rebel groups and separatists.
The graphic video was uploaded on the website of Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission.
The second part of the video shows a Papuan man tied up on the ground, being tortured by a group of unidentifiable men.
A man holds a knife to the victim's neck as he is repeatedly kicked and questioned.
The video momentarily shows his genitals being scorched with a burning stick.
But the rest of the footage is edited out because, according to a statement on the website, the images are too disturbing.
Djoko Suyanto, the Indonesian Co-ordinating Minister for Security, said the soldiers believed the Papuan villagers they caught were dangerous because they had found weapons on them.
There is a significant military presence in Papua, which the government says is necessary to maintain security in the province because of the existence of separatist groups.
A small group of rebels has waged a war for independence from Indonesia over the last few decades.
Human rights groups have long accused the military of grave abuses in the area - claims the military has consistently rejected.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11604361
Video
