Police can't beat Theys death probe deadline
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.