20 killed, 70 hurt in protests in Indonesia's Papua province

At least 20 people were killed Monday, including three shot by police, in violent protests by hundreds of people sparked by rumours that a teacher insulted an indigenous student in Indonesia's restive Papua province, officials said.

An angry mob torched local government buildings, shops and homes and set fire to cars and motorbikes on several roads leading to the district chief's office in Wamena city, said Papua police chief Rudolf Alberth Rodja.

Papua military spokesman Eko Daryanto said at least 16 civilians, including 13 from other Indonesian provinces, were killed in Wamena, mostly after being trapped in burning houses or shops.

He said at least one soldier and three civilians died in another protest in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.

About 65 civilians were injured in Wamena and five police officers were critically injured in Jayapura, he said.

Television video showed orange flames and black smoke billowing from burning buildings in Wamena.

Rodja said the protest was triggered by rumors that a high school teacher in Wamena who is not from Papua called an indigenous Papuan student a "monkey" last week.

He said a police investigation did not find any evidence of racism against the student, and that false rumours have been spreading among students in other schools and native communities.

"We believe this false information was intentionally designed to create riots," Rodja told reporters in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.

"This is a hoax and I call on people in Papua not to be provoked by untrue news."