Papuan independence leader found dead
Papuan independence leader found dead
R.K. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
Chairman of the pro-independence Papuan Presidium Council (PDP), Theys Hiyo Eluay, 63, was found dead in his car on Sunday at Muara Tami, a district west of Jayapura, Irian Jaya, triggering anger among the local populations in Abepantai and Sentani, his home town.
Theys had been reported kidnapped by a group of people on his way to Sentani, after attending a dinner at the Army's Kopassus elite troop headquarters in Jayapura in observance of National Heroes' Day.
Dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, his body bearing no sign of bruising or gunshot wounds, Theys was found dead on the second- row seat of his blue Kijang van.
A small cut was visible near his left eyebrow, and a dot of dried blood was found in his left nostril. Scars were also found on his hands, while the windows of the van he was driving had been smashed.
It was unclear what had happened to the vehicle, which was found resting against a tree 50 meters from a ravine, on a quiet stretch of highway flanked by thick woods, some two kilometers from the Central Koya transmigration complex, around 30 kilometers southeast of Jayapura.
Theys' body was found at 6 p.m. and moved at about noon. The removal of the body was supervised by Jayapura Police chief Adj. Comr. Daud J. Sihombing, who made no statement to reporters.
PDP secretary-general Thaha Al Hamid, Rev. Herman Awom and the victim's eldest son Boy Eluay witnessed the removal of the body, which was then rushed to the Dok II General Hospital for a post- mortem examination.
"I am not going to speculate about who the murderers are. Let's wait for the results of the police investigation," Al Hamid told The Jakarta Post.
"I just feel sorry that the killing happened while legal proceedings against him (Theys) were underway."
He said that, based on the organization's statute, its deputy chairman, Tom Beanal, would take over Theys' post.
The trials of Theys, who was a former legislative council of Golkar faction during Soeharto's renure, and four other pro- independence figures, Don A. L. Flassy, Al Hamid, Rev. Herman Awom and John Mambor started on May 14 in Jayapura. They were charged with violating Article 106 of the Criminal Code on sedition, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
They were arrested last year following the anniversary of their self-proclaimed declaration of Papuan independence on Dec. 1.
On Saturday Theys joined a ceremony marking National Heroes' Day, which falls on Nov. 10, held by the provincial administration in Jayapura.
In the evening he attended a dinner at Kopassus headquarters, also in Jayapura. The Jakarta Post confirmed at 8:30 p.m. (local time) that Theys was at the dinner.
Theys' wife Yanieke Ohee said that at 9:55 Theys called her, saying that he would soon be going home. But about one hour later Theys' driver Ari Masoka called her and said that a group of non- Papuan people had attacked them and kidnapped Theys.
Police said that Theys' wife reported her husband's disappearance to the police at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, or more than six hours after her husband had been found dead.
The whereabouts of Theys' driver are still unknown.
Police and military sources could not be contacted about Theys' death. Irian Jaya police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika and Irian Jaya Military chief Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon had left for Jakarta before the incident took place. They were not available for comment.
On Sunday morning Mahidin told a private TV station that he knew nothing about Theys attending a diner at Kopassus headquarters. He did not meet Theys on Saturday.
Theys' death came as a heavy blow to local Papuans. In Abepantai in Jayapura dozens of locals, mostly teenagers, became angry upon seeing a convoy of vehicles traveling behind the car that was carrying Theys' dead body.
The crowd, holding stones in their hands, allowed only the car carrying Theys' body and a truck loaded with police officers to pass. They started pelting the other cars with stones, forcing at least 30 to stop for almost half an hour.
Police mobile brigade (Brimob) troops traveling in a truck arrived to clear the blockade and fired warning shots in the air.
Another mob destroyed stores in a neighboring area of Abepura.
In Jayapura shops were closed at 8 p.m local time, or 90 minutes earlier than usual, amid fears that rioting would erupt.
In Theys' hometown of Sentani, an angry mob set ablaze shops, a hotel and a Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) office located close to Theys' residence.
Theys' death has revived tensions in the country's easternmost province, despite the government's efforts to accommodate the aspirations of the Irian Jaya people (who prefer to call themselves Papuans) through the special autonomy law.
The PDP strongly rejected the Special Autonomy Law on Irian Jaya, which it said was not the best way to settle the prolonged dispute in the province.
Chronology of Theys' fight for a free Papua.
- A member of People's Choice (Pepera) in 1969 - Arrested for provoking people to demand Papuan Independence in July, 1998 - Led ceremony to hoist the Morning Star (Free Papuans') Flag on Dec. 1, 1999. He was arrested for disobeying Indonesian law. - Asked President Abdurrahman Wahid to change the name of Irian Jaya to Papua in Dec. 1999 - Held Papuan Congress from May to June 2000 - Flown to Jakarta for heart treatment in Jan. 2001 - Tried for subversion starting May 14, 2001 - Signed a declaration to reject autonomy law on Oct. 21, 2001 - Kidnapped and found dead on Nov. 11, 2001