Vaudine England – Large Papuan women with hatchets resting between their feet and men in war paint with traditional tall bows and arrows yesterday stopped refugees from the strife-torn Maluku Islands coming ashore in Irian Jaya.

The show of strength in Jayapura, where thousands of residents gathered at the port, marked the fourth time in a week that the refugees had been turned away from the province.

"I am originally from Ambon but we in Jayapura do not want refugees from Ambon coming here. We will allow women, children and elderly people perhaps, but we know the others will bring problems. We don't want the fighting between Muslims and Christians to come here," said a man in the crowd. "It's not that we don't want refugees, it is that we don't want their problems," said the man who was part of the narrow, sullen human corridor through which other passengers had to pass.

Also at the port gate were about 200 riot police, dogs sniffing for explosives, a Marine platoon, some 100 soldiers and about 35 intelligence officers.

Officials denied a deal had been made between the Government and the pro-independence militia, Satgas Papua. But events on the ground showed an accommodation had been reached: so long as no one carrying an Ambon identity card was allowed through, other disembarkations could proceed.

Soldiers, policemen and Marines helped other passengers disembark from the troubled vessel Pelni, which had been refused entry at the Irian Jaya ports of Sorong, Manokwari and Biak before reaching Jayapura yesterday.

Given the ship's problems on its 10-day journey from Jakarta via the Maluku capital, Ambon, the authorities started discussions on Friday about how to cope in Jayapura. The decision reached was to divide the more than 2,000 exhausted passengers into three categories: people originally from Jayapura trying to come home, people from Sorong who were unable to disembark there last week, and Ambon "refugees".

Passengers had their state identity cards checked on the ship before members of the first two categories were allowed to struggle off small loading boats into the crowd. Every few paces, aggressive-looking Papuans, many in traditional bird-feather garb and face paint, demanded to see their identity cards again. Flying over the tense scene was a full-size "Morning Star" Papuan independence flag, which conveyed the widespread desire for independence from Indonesia.

About 1,000 people fleeing the communal strife which has plagued the Maluku for 18 months remained on board the ship moored in Jayapura's scenic bay overnight. Food was taken to them and one woman who had just delivered a baby was taken away by ambulance – with police on every street corner to ensure her safe passage.

The Ambonese refugees still on board will be sent away yet again, this time back up to the largely Christian city of Manado in North Sulawesi. Whoever was not taken in by Manado would be sent on to Kupang in West Timor, a police officer said, adding this had already been agreed with the authorities in Kupang.