Jakarta – Angry mobs paralyzed downtown Manokwari in Indonesia's remote Irian Java province on Saturday, a day after police shot dead one man and wounded two others during an outbreak of violence.

Thousands of people gathered inside and outside the local district parliament building in Manokwari, where the body of John Wamafma was laid. The mob completely blocked the town's main streets with stones, wood, oildrums or tree trunks, the Antara news agency said.

Wamafma was shot dead as police attempted to disperse a mob that went on the rampage in Manokwari on Friday, laying waste to several government offices and private houses, the agency said. Two other men, including a highschool student, were in critical condition at the the state hospital there after they were shot by the police.

The rampage was sparked by an earlier fight between several people with policemen at Manokwari harbour. The arrest of four of the civilians by the police, who also manhandled them, sparked anger among the population.

The mob burned three police homes and ransacked the local parliament, the state RRI radio station and the office of the public service administration agency, Antara said.

The Indonesian military has taken over from the police who have been withdrawn to their headquarters to prevent further violence, Antara said.

The mob at the local parliament has also demanded that the town's police chief be replaced within 24 hours for failure to assure security in town. The local military police are currently investigating the shooting, Antara said.