Police can't beat Theys death probe deadline
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Irian Jaya saw the Dec. 10, 2001 deadline, which they had set for the police to unravel the death of their proindependence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay, come and go, without any result.
Local leaders vowed last month, when demanding an impartial investigation into Theys' death, that they would no longer trust the police if the authorities failed to meet the deadline.
"We want to use the deadline to boost the urgency of our investigation," National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar told reporters after a meeting at the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.
The National Police, he said, had continued investigating everyone believed to have links or information on the murder. "Unfortunately, we have yet to talk with the key witness," Da'i added.
The key witness was a reference to Aristoteles Masoka, Theys' driver who has been missing since the discovery of Theys' body on Nov. 11, 2001.
Theys, the chairman of the proindependence Papuan Council Presidium (PDP), was found dead in his car in Muara Tami district near Jayapura.
Theys was reportedly kidnapped by a group of people on his way home to Sentani after attending a dinner at the headquarters of the Army's elite special troops (Kopassus) in Jayapura to observe National Heroes Day on Nov. 10.
Separately, a group of students from Irian Jaya staged a demonstration on Monday in the lobby of the House, calling for the establishment of an independent inquiry committee to probe Theys' death.
Activist Tsahmud Paus Paus said that if the National Police were unable to disclose Theys' murder they were also likely to ignore the plight of the Papuan people. "We are worried about our future security," he added.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has currently been investigating Theys' death. They have met with Irian Jaya Governor Jaap Salosa, the provincial legislative council speaker and Jayapura Police chief. The team has also questioned two witnesses in the murder case.