TIMIKA: An Indonesian police officer was killed and a second wounded after being shot in an area near Freeport-McMoRan Inc?s giant Grasberg copper mine in the eastern province of Papua, a police spokesman said.

The officers were shot near Tembagapura early on Wednesday, Papua police spokesman Suryadi Diaz said.

There has been a string of shooting incidents since mid-August that have wounded at least eight people and killed two police officers. They have been blamed by police on an ?armed criminal group? but linked to separatist rebels by others.