Police in Indonesia's Papua province say they plan to crack down on separatist activists in the resource-rich region if dialogue fails.

The provincial police chief suspects separatists have been planning attacks but he will not say whether he thinks they will come from the separatists' armed wing or its political movement, the Papua Presidium Council. Papua has been relatively free of violence in recent months.

His comments come three days before a meeting of church, human rights, students and independence activists who plan to declare Papua a "zone of peace".