Army Chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu has urged the people of Papua to help the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) quell separatism in the resource-rich province.

Ryacudu made the statement Thursday in an address read out at a ceremony by the province's military chief Major General Mahidin Simbolon.

The ceremony marked the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Trikora District Military Command, which oversees security in Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya).

Trikora chief Mahidin Simbolon, regarded as one of the Army's most experienced officers in covert operations, is accused of playing a key role in the formation of pro-Jakarta militia groups that went on a spree of murder, arson and looting in East Timor in the months surrounding the territory's 1999 vote for independence.

Human rights groups claim that Simbolon is now forming pro-Jakarta militias in Papua and warn that the military is preparing for a major crackdown on separatism in the remote province.

Rebels in Papua have been staging a low-level guerrilla war for independence since the Dutch ceded control of the territory to Indonesia in 1963.

Ryacudu said only a handful of people in Papua were seeking to rekindle support for the rebel movement, so TNI would work closely with locals to curb separatism. He praised the Trikora command for maintaining stability in Papua and contributing to "development" of the province.

Among those attending Thursday's ceremony were Papua Governor Jaap Salossa.

Rights groups say the Indonesian military has killed thousands of civilians in Papua since the 1960s.