Palu – Four people were killed and another 25 injured in clashes between police and protesters in Indonesia, police have said. Some of those killed had been shot dead, senior policeman M. Nazli said.

The clashes occurred Wednesday in Banggai, the main town on an island with the same name, on the third day of street protests against a plan to strip it of its status as a district capital in favour of another town.

Thirteen protesters suffered gunshot wounds, while 10 police officers and two soldiers were injured by stones thrown by the demonstrators, Nazli said.

The protesters used planks to seal shut 15 government offices, Nazli said, paralysing the administration in Banggai, in Central Sulawesi province. Sisno Adiwinoto, a police spokesman, said the protesters also destroyed a police post.

Nazli said Banggai was calm Thursday and "there are no mass concentrations" of people in the town. He added the police had no plans to break open the government offices and would leave the matter to local people.

The Banggai islands lie some 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province.