Widow wants Theys' trial moved to Papua

Widow wants Theys' trial moved to Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba
and Kanis Dursin
The Jakarta Post
Jayapura, Papua

The prosecution of seven members of the Army's Special Forces
(Kopassus) does not seem to have helped to heal the wounds
inflicted on Mrs. Yanneke Ohee Eluay by the tragic death of her
husband, the late Dortheys Hiyo Eluay, on Nov. 11, 2001.

Struggling to hold back tears, mother of three Yanneke told
The Jakarta Post that she wanted the case to be taken to an
international rights tribunal or at least the trial moved to
Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua.

"I want the trial to be held here so that the (Papuan) people
can see for themselves who are the culprits," Yanneke told the
Post at her home in Sentani, located at the foot of Cyklop
mountain, Papua, on Tuesday.

Seven Kopassus members are currently being prosecuted at a
court-martial in Surabaya, East Java, for their role in the
murder of independence leader and chairman of Papua Presidium
Council (PDP) Theys, who was found dead on Nov. 11, 2001.

He was kidnapped on his way home to Sentani, some 40
kilometers outside the provincial capital, Jayapura, on the
evening of Nov. 11 after attending a function hosted by a local
unit of the feared Kopassus in Jayapura.

No official explanation was given why the court-martial was
held in Surabaya instead of Jayapura. All witnesses and material
evidence, including the car Theys used on that fateful night,
were still in Papua.

Yanneke, the ninth and only wife Theys married in church, has
been summoned twice to testify at the trial but refused to show
up for security reasons.

"The Papuan people didn't want me to go (to testify at the
court-martial). They told me to take care of my own safety and
anticipate any eventuality," said Yanneke, who was accompanied by
her lawyer, Latifah Anum Siregar, from the Alliance of Democracy
for Papua.

"If the trial were held here I would testify. I would be hurt
even more if I had to go to Surabaya and see those who kidnapped
and killed my husband. It is better for me not to see them;
besides I think the statement I made earlier under oath should be
sufficient," said Yanneke, who married Theys in 1987.

Local military prosecutors had vowed to guarantee the safety
of Yanneke but she and her lawyer considered that to be
insufficient.

"But if they force me to testify, I want my lawyer to come
along and the court must pay for our trip and the living costs of
my children at home," she said, while stating how much money she
would need if she had to go to Surabaya to testify.

"More than that, I want (the Trikora) military commander,
Papua Police chief, Jayapura Police chief, governor, mayor and
chairman of the Papua legislature to be present when I testify so
that they will all know what really happened to my husband and be
responsible for my security and safety," she said.

Military prosecutors offered to pay for a plane ticket and
food allowance for Yanneke alone during her stay in Surabaya.

She also expressed doubt that the court-martial would unravel
the mystery surrounding the killing of her husband. "I have no
faith in the trial, it is like a thief prosecuting a thief," she
said.

Since the killing of her husband, Yanneke and her children
have been forced to depend on the generosity of her relatives and
friends of her late husband to get by.

"I have no job and my husband has passed away. We have no
pension and have to live on the generosity of people around here;
my parents and members of my family sometimes help, sometimes
PDP. I have also asked for help from friends of my late husband
to help with the schooling of my children," she said.

After the death of her husband, Yanneke changed her strategy
in the fight for independence. Last September, she decided to
join the National Labor Party headed by Muchtar Pakpahan.

"I hope by joining the party, I can help resolve problems in
Papua, and I believe the party will resolve the Papua question,"
said Yanneke, who claims to be the party's deputy chairman for
Papua province.

Muctar Pakpahan, she said, had vowed to declare Papua
independent if he were elected president.

"Of course, we Papuans will nominate Pak Muchtar as president;
he has already told me that he would separate Papua from
Indonesia if he became president," she said, without elaborating.

Indonesia is due to hold general and presidential elections in
2004.

Yanneke acknowledged that the National Labor Party was too
small to win next year's presidential race "but it has links with
international trade unions".

"Recently, we held a meeting to discuss various issues,
including my husband's case, and Muchtar took the cases
immediately to the UN. So, from that point of view, I decided to
join the party," she said.

Yanneke also believed that sooner or later Papua would become
independent. "Deep in my heart I still believe Papua will
definitely become independent," Yanneke said.