Jakarta – Police in Indonesia's troubled Irian Jaya province have arrested five more separatist leaders on suspicion of subversion, their lawyer said yesterday.

The activists, all members of the pro-independence Papuan Presidium Council, are being questioned over a bloody riot in the remote town of Wamena in October, attorney Seth Waramori said.

Police confirmed the five had been detained in connection with the clashes in which up to 40 people died. The arrests are part of a crackdown by security forces on separatists in the province, also known as West Papua.

Five other senior members of the council, including leader Theys Eluay, were detained three weeks ago, also on subversion charges. All the men face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Mr Waramori said the latest arrests were politically motivated. He said his clients, two of whom are Protestant clergymen, were innocent.

"When the incident took place, one of the men was in Jayapura," he said, referring to the provincial capital 400 km away. "The men were clearly not involved in what was a criminal offence."

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has been criticised recently by rights groups and foreign governments for the crackdown on secessionists in the province. Last week he ordered Theys Eluay released but his demand was ignored by security officers and hardline members of the government.

At least 18 people have been killed in clashes in the province since separatists held several days of independence rallies earlier this month.

Rebels in the province, which covers the western half of New Guinea island 4,000 km east of Jakarta, have been struggling for independence since Indonesia took control of the former Dutch colony in 1963.