On July 2, separatist rebels released a video saying that they had shot dead a US pilot and set his plane on fire in Indonesia's far eastern Papua region.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said they killed 29-year-old Nicholas F Gosselin after he landed in the Highland Papua province, and claimed that the pilot had been transporting Indonesian troops into the region.

Indonesia’s military rejects those claims, saying the passengers were indigenous Papuans.

Indonesian officials confirmed that Gosselin's plane had been found burnt, but said it was unclear what happened to him or his seven passengers on board.

This is the latest in a string of events spanning decades in the resource-rich region over which the Indonesian government and West Papua’s indigenous people are fighting.

On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi unpacks the years of conflict in the contested area with two journalists who have been covering West Papua: Johnny Blades from Radio New Zealand and Abraham Utama from the BBC’s Indonesian language service.

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Why armed men killed a US pilot in Indonesia

Asia Specific

Why armed men killed a US pilot in Indonesia