Manokwari (Indonesia) (AFP)

The Indonesian province of West Papua had Wednesday a third day of demonstrations that in some places degenerated into clashes, pushing Jakarta to send some 1,200 military and police reinforcements.

The government has called for a return to calm in this poor region of the far east of Indonesia. The riots began on Monday after the weekend arrest on the island of Java of 43 gentoo students and the racist slurs they were targeted for.

A thousand people demonstrated on Wednesday in the streets of Timika (south), where an AFP journalist saw protesters throw stones at the windows of the local assembly and try to destroy the barrier giving access. The crowd was dispersed in this city only after police firing.

Indonesian media reported 45 arrests, including those accused of instigating demonstrations and causing damage in buildings.

- Paralyzed cities -

Hundreds of protesters also marched through the streets of Sorong and Fakfak, two other communities in the province. Police fired tear gas at Fakfak to disperse protesters who set fire to a market and destroyed ATMs and shops.

Some cities in this region rich in raw materials were paralyzed Wednesday, including the capital Manokwari where rioters set fire to shops and local parliament on Monday.

Several police officers were injured, according to the authorities, and unconfirmed reports of injured demonstrators.

Police were pursuing more than 250 detainees who escaped from a Sorong prison burned by rioters.

Some 900 policemen and 300 soldiers have been deployed in Manokwari and Sorong, the authorities said on Wednesday.

National Police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said the situation remained "globally under control", stating the police were not equipped with live ammunition.

Anger spread across West Papua after news of Saturday's arrest of 43 gentoo students by police in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.

Riot police raided a dormitory to dislodge Papuan students who had been accused of destroying an Indonesian flag on Independence Day in Indonesia. The police arrested and interrogated them before releasing them.

At the same time, there was a demonstration against the presence of Papuan students during which racist remarks were made.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has promised an investigation into the incidents in Surabaya and is expected to visit the province of West Papua next week.

Today divided into two provinces, the west of the island of New Guinea, rich in natural resources, is in the grip of a sporadic independence rebellion against the Indonesian government.

Indonesia took control of the territory by force in 1963, the year following the departure of the Dutch, who had made it a colony, and officially annexed it in 1969.

Many Papuans claim independence.

Papua New Guinea, the other half of the Big Island, obtained it in 1975 after having belonged to Australia.

© 2019 AFP