LEAD: Indonesian plane goes missing in Papua

JAYAPURA, Indonesia, Jan. 8 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH POSSIBLE CRASH SITE, BACKGROUND)

An Indonesian navy plane carrying a local military commander, police chief and parliament chief went missing Monday and is feared to have crashed in Central Irian Jaya Province, a local military official said.

The official told Kyodo News the plane took off from the provincial capital of Timika at 10:25 a.m. and was bound for the East Irian Jaya provincial capital of Jayapura.

Timika Airport officials lost contact with the plane at 10:34 a.m.

The military official said the plane might have crashed around the villages of Dila, Hoya or Eral, about 300 kilometers south of Jayapura.

On board the plane were Papua Military Regional Commander Maj. Gen. Toni Rompies, Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Soemardi, speaker of the local legislative council Nathaniel Kaiwai and chief of the Papua High Prosecutors' Office Bismar Mannu, he said.

It is unclear how many passengers and crew the plane was carrying, he said.

The plane was on an inspection tour of several regions in Papua, the western part of New Guinea Island, when it went missing.

Since Jan. 1, Papua has been divided into three provinces -- West Irian Jaya, Central Irian Jaya and East Irian Jaya after the House of Representatives during the administration of then President B.J. Habibie passed a law on the creation of the three provinces in 1999.

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