Papuans commemorate death of Theys
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua
Members of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) commemorated here on Tuesday the death of former charismatic PDP chairman Theys Hiyo Eluay, who was killed two years ago by Indonesian military personnel.
The anniversary, which was held under tight surveillance by the police, took place in the grounds of Theys' house in the Jayapura area of Sentani.
The function took place on Tuesday morning after a large number of PDP members and Theys' relatives had traveled to Entrop, some 45 kilometers from Jayapura, to hold a prayer service at a memorial park there where the killing of Theys took place two years ago.
They also visited the Sentani Memorial Park, where Theys is buried. Later they returned to Theys' house for a prayer service organized by Theys' family and the PDP.
The service was led by the Rev. Chris Warow and was attended by some 200 PDP members, including representatives of a number of Papuan tribes.
The situation was tense, with dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police personnel, including Sr. Comr. Slamet Sopandi, the Papua Provincial Police's intelligence chief, watching from nearby.
The Morning Star flag, which symbolizes the independence of Papua, was seen hoisted at half staff in front of the house. But, the police do not intervene in order to prevent the situation from turning ugly.
The police imposed tight security for fear that the crowd could turn ugly, and fuel tension in the province ahead of "Papua Independence Day" on Dec. 1.
Theys was murdered by a number of soldiers from the Army's elite Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in the Entrop area, after he attended a Heroes' Day celebration at the Kopassus headquarters in the Hamadi area on Nov. 10, 2001. The remains of Theys were found a day later in Entrop, but Aristoteles, his driver, is still missing. The seven Kopassus soldiers were tried and convicted. All received extremely light sentences, however, of between 24 and 42 months in jail.
For the Indonesian government, Theys was tantamount to a traitor, but for PDP members, he was a true hero, said Vorkorus Yaboisembut, the chief of the Mamberamo Tami tribe.
"He has fought for the rights of Papuans," he said in a speech to the crowd.
Vorkorus shared the same concern as Theys that Papuans remained poor and backward, although their province was blessed with abundant wealth and natural resources.
Vorkorus called on Papuans to continue Theys' struggle in order to improve the life of Papuans. But, he added that it should be peaceful.
Separately, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno called on Papuans not to celebrate the Independence Day of Papua, which falls on Dec. 1.
"We would suggest that they don't do it. But, if they insist on doing it, they should do it at home or in a restrained manner. There are other people in Papua who may disagree with the celebration of Papuan Independence Day," he said in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara.
The statement came a day after local government and military authorities in Papua -- the governor of Papua and the Trikora military commander overseeing Papua, banned Papuans from celebrating Papuan Independence Day on Dec. 1.