The authenticity of the 10-minute graphic video initially was questioned by Indonesian authorities, saying it was a propaganda stunt by separatist groups in Papua, the country's eastern-most and largest province.

The Asian Human Rights Commission, based in Hong Kong, put the video on the Internet this month, setting off an international outrage and raised questions for the United States over its recently restored military links with Indonesia.

Poor-quality footage, shot on a mobile phone camera, shows what appears to be two gun-carrying soldiers repeatedly kicking seated villagers in the head and accusing them of being separatists.

One villager repeatedly answers, "I'm a civilian, I don't know anything," but a man in the background says, "You're lying. Burn him. Burn him."

Later scenes include a knife being held to the throat and nose of a bound villager. In another scene a naked elderly man appears has an object held over his face while his arms are bound behind his back and his legs tied.

One of the more disturbing scenes briefly shows a man's genitals being burned with a lighted stick. The Papuan is heard screaming, "I'm telling the truth, the truth," in the tribal dialect, Lani.

The Asian Human Rights Commission said it decided to edit out similar graphic scenes of torture.

Wong Kai Shing, executive director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, urged Indonesia to ratify the U.N .Convention Against Torture, which it signed in 1998. "This is only one of numerous cases of torture by the military in Papua that has been reported to us," he said.

In a frank and unexpected statement, the Indonesian government and the military confirmed the authenticity of the video, which was posted on YouTube under the title "Military Torture of Indigenous Papuans" but taken down after just more than a day.

"Based on our preliminary report, we found that soldiers on the ground overreacted in handling those people who had been arrested," Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said. "What they did was unprofessional."

Suyanto also highlighted the reason for the soldiers' interrogation of the villagers.

"But the soldiers suspected that the Papuan men they had caught are members of groups who have committed violent actions before in Papua. They found weapons on them when they were caught," he said.

The incident occurred near an army checkpoint in the Puncak Jaya district of Papua. The government has declared it a Military Operational Region because it is suspected of being the base of the armed separatist group the Free Papua Movement.

Human rights organizations have been condemning Indonesia's military track record since it took over the resource-rich western half of New Guinea island in 1963. The Free Papua Movement has conducted a low-level insurgency since then and the government has made it illegal to fly their Morning Star flag and outlawed many peaceful protests over security concerns.

In 2003, the Indonesian government split the original Papua province. It declared the westernmost part of the island, around Bird's Head Peninsula, a separate province called West Papua, which has its own separatist movement, Free West Papua.

The investigation into the torture incident will be carried out by the military, but they may not be sufficiently independent, said Mahfudz Siddiq, who heads a House of Representatives commission. Siddiq wants the police to investigate the incident.

But he also said the video could have been made by separatists as a propaganda tool.

"So what happened in the video, if it is true, could be a new weapon for them to consolidate their power, and at the same time harm Indonesia," he said.

Democratic Party House member Ramadhan Pohan said torture by the military may not to be systemic but an issue of poor individual discipline. "I think the military must fully clarify this issue. If any soldiers are involved in actions as shown in the YouTube recording, there should be sanctions for the soldiers," he said.

"What the video suggests is that torture is taking place despite claims by the Indonesian government that such force is not being exerted," said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director for Human Rights Watch. "We are gravely concerned the credibility of the Indonesian military is fast eroding."

The United States said Indonesia has been open about the torture allegations and the incident will not affect a resumption of military ties focusing on cooperation with Indonesia's military intelligence unit Kopassas.

"They have undertaken, under democratic law, specific reforms and we will continue to work with them," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. "What they announced today is consistent with terms under which we resumed limited security cooperation with Kopassas," he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama is due to visit Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood, Nov. 9-10. The trip is rescheduled from a canceled visit last March.

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