Lindsay Murdoch, Jayapura – A senior Indonesian police officer in charge of the crackdown on West Papua's separatist movement has strongly criticised Australians who support the former Dutch colony gaining independence.

Brigadier-General Sylvanus Wenas told the Herald that if Aborigines claimed an area of land and demanded independence, "Australia would bomb the area and finish them off".

Speaking in Jayapura, shortly after a police raid on a separatist group's headquarters, General Wenas declined to elaborate on Australia's involvement in the resource-rich province. "It's a very sensitive issue. I can't make comments without solid, proven evidence, otherwise it will only make the relationship between the two countries even worse," he said.

Despite repeated assurances by the Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Downer, and the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, that Australia supports Indonesia's rule of West Papua, many of Indonesia's political and military elite, still smarting from the loss of East Timor last year, believe Australia is secretly plotting to see the province break away.

The Indonesian Government was particularly upset by recent comments by the president of the ACTU, Greg Sword – also national president of the ALP – who said West Papuans should be able to hold a referendum on whether they wished to remain part of Indonesia.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Alwi Shihab, earlier this year accused unnamed Australian non-government organisations of inciting violence in Papua.