Putri Prameshwari – Two men were shot and stabbed to death and another two badly injured after they were allegedly attacked by members of the separatist Free Papua Movement, or OPM, in Puncak Jaya subdistrict, Papua Provincial Police Chief Bagus Eko Danto said on Tuesday.

The deceased, both motorcycle taxi drivers, were identified as Zainal, 25, and Solihan, 35. Their passengers, Lince Telenggen, 19, and Yogile Kiwo, 30, were left with serious injuries.

"We're trying to get more information from the survivors," Bagus said. "But it's hard to do because they're still badly injured."

The victims were being treated at the Mulia General Hospital.

Bagus said there were indications that the ambush was staged by OPM rebels under the leadership of Goliath Tabuni, from the Dani tribe.

Security forces believe Tabuni is responsible for a string of recent attacks. The latest alleged incident was a shooting in late February in which one man was injured.

In January, a group of 20 people believed to be members of the outlawed OPM attacked the Tingginambut Police station, also in Puncak Jaya subdistrict.

The group, armed with SS-1 assault rifles, stabbed the wife of an officer who happened to be at the station. Bagus said the police had launched an investigation.

The OPM is a rag-tag group of poorly equipped rebels with little organizational structure who have been waging a guerilla war against the Indonesian Armed Forces, or TNI, which they say is an occupying force responsible for gross human rights violations.

The provinces of Papua and West Papua are rich in natural resources, but most native Papuans live in extreme poverty.