Jakarta - Separatist rebels ambushed a police truck in Indonesia's Papua province Wednesday, killing one officer and wounding five others, state media reported.

The officers were travelling in Jayawijaya district to pick up ballot boxes from last week's elections when they were attacked, Papua police chief Bagus Eko Danto said, according to the Antara news agency.

One officer died while being airlifted to the provincial capital Jayapura, Bagus said.

Last week, five people were killed in separate attacks blamed on rebels hours before Indonesians went to the polls for legislative elections.

Police said at least five migrants from other parts of Indonesia have been killed since last month in attacks by suspected separatists.

Papua, home to a low-level separatist insurgency, has seen a surge in violence this year. Independence supporters have also staged rallies since last month demanding a referendum on self-determination for the predominantly Christian region.

Papua was a Dutch colony and remained one after 1949 when Indonesia gained independence. In 1961, Indonesia invaded Papua, sparking a brief war with the Netherlands.

The United Nations intervened, and ceded Papua to Indonesia in 1962. It formally became part of Indonesia seven years later, after a referendum that Jakarta was accused of manipulating. (dpa)