Jakarta – A mob of some 200 people set fire to a major market in Jayapura, the main city of the country's easternmost province of Irian Jaya, which is seeking independence.

The mob attacked the Sentani market early on Saturday, burning hundreds of kiosks and stalls, the SCTV television station said. No one was injured in the fire, it added.

SCTV said the attackers were people from a nearby neighbourhood who were angry at police failure to quickly solve a local murder case. The attackers only dispersed after the arrival of two truckloads of the police mass-control unit, the television station said. Superintendent Daud Sihomping of the Jayapura police said the incident was not related to a pro-independence drive.

Irian Jaya has seen increasing calls for a peaceful move towards independence from Indonesia since the fall of former President Suharto.