Amnesty officials expelled from Papua

Amnesty officials expelled from Papua

R.K. Nugroho and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Jayapura/Jakarta

The government has expelled two members of human rights
organization Amnesty International from Irian Jaya for illegally
investigating the mysterious death of Papuan separatist leader
Theys Hiyo Eluay.

The government argued the two-member team violated their visa
which was intended for "socio-cultural travel" to Indonesia.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs acting spokesman Wahid Supriyadi
said the Indonesian government never aimed to deport the team,
but since it breached immigration regulations it must leave Irian
Jaya.

"The Amnesty International team came to Indonesia by applying
for a socio-cultural visa and on the application form they stated
that the trip was limited to Java and Sumatra," he told The
Jakarta Post on Monday.

"But, the team went to Irian Jaya and furthermore conducted a
probe into the death of Theys. Our office has simply notified
them (Amnesty) about the mistake and they decided to withdraw the
team from the province," Wahid added.

He said any international organization must comply with
Indonesia's immigration laws should it want to make a visit to
the troubled areas such as Irian Jaya and Aceh.

"They (Amnesty) should have sent a proposal to us for a
special visa for the investigation. I believe every country will
do exactly the same thing against anybody found violating the
visa regulations."

The team's two members -- Lucia Withers and Signe Poulsen --
had left Irian Jaya on Jan. 29, 10 days after their arrival. They
were scheduled to leave on Jan. 5. It was not clear whether the
team was still in Indonesia or not.

Jhon Rumbiak, leader of the Irian Jaya-based Ell-Sham legal
aid and advocacy body that facilitated the team's visit,
confirmed the pair had to cut short the 15-day visit at the
orders of the foreign affairs ministry.

"The repatriation of the two delegates was due to a
misunderstanding on their working visit," Rumbiak said.

Local sources said that during the visit, the team
investigated the murder of Theys and other human rights abuses
that took place in Jayapura, Wamena and Manokwari.

The team once attended the trial of three leaders of the rebel
Papua Council Presidium (PDP) charged with subversion.
Prosecutors have demanded that they be each sentenced to 30
months in prison.

In their trial on Monday, a team of 22 lawyers acting for the
three defendants told the Jayapura District Court to acquit them
of all charges, arguing the prosecutors' demands were irrational.

"The demanded sentences should have been differentiated
according to the alleged crime committed by each of the
defendants," Anton Raharusun, one of the lawyers, told the Post.

He said the prosecutors, led by Syamsu Alam, were not serious
in dealing with the case because under the criminal code the
subversion charge carried a maximum death penalty or 20 years in
jail.

"The demand for lenient sentences shows that subversion
charges against the defendants are legally and convincingly not
proven," Anton added.

Meanwhile, a 12-member team from the Indonesian Military
arrived in Jayapura on Monday to begin its inquiry into the
murder of Theys, which allegedly involved soldiers.

The team led by Military Police Commander Maj. Gen. Djasri
Marin immediately held meetings with local military and police
leaders.

Marin said his team would question all troops suspected of
involvement in the alleged killing of the top PDP leader on Nov.
11. "We will summon them one by one," he told the press in
Jayapura.

He declined to reveal which military force the suspected
troops belong to. Many officials and people have alleged that
members of the Army's elite force Kopassus had a role in the
murder.

Army Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has said that witness
testimony has indicated the possible involvement of members of
Kopassus in the murder of Theys.

The team is expected to also question all witnesses who have
already been interviewed by local police.

The government has decided to set up an independent team to
investigate the murder following mounting pressure from pro-
independence activists. But its establishment remains unclear.

Theys was abducted prior to his death by an unidentified group
as he drove home from a Heroes' Day celebrations hosted by the
Kopassus on Nov. 9 in Jayapura.

His driver escaped and reported the abduction, which he said
was carried out by non-Papuan people. He has since disappeared.