Tens of thousands expected to attend Theys's funeral

R.K. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

The Irian Jaya capital of Jayapura will be on red alert on Saturday as tens of thousands are expected to attend the funeral of Papuan Presidium Council chairman Theys Hiyo Eluay, according to the provincial police chief, Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika.

Pastika said on Friday that all main roads in the neighboring town of Sentani, Theys's home town, would be guarded by Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) troopers. "Brimob troopers will be on guard from Jl. Yabaso to Sentani airport and Theys's residence."

"All police officers will be on duty and on a level one alert to anticipate any possible rioting," he said.

Asked what the police officers would do should rioting break out, Pastika said that things would be handled based upon standing procedures. "We will first adopt a persuasive approach."

A military source said that the funeral could turn into an emotional event. "Rioting could erupt after the funeral."

People from remote areas in Wamena, Sorong and Fak-fak have been flocking to Theys's residence in Sentani since Wednesday.

"There are at least 15,000 people now attending prayers for Theys," Don Al Flassy, a member of the PDP, said on Thursday.

PDP offices in 14 regencies, and in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe have also sent representatives, according to Flassy.

Theys will be buried in a plot belonging to his family some one kilometer away from his residence. The plot, formerly used as a soccer field by local youths, has now been dedicated by the family to the Papuan people as a heroes cemetery.

"Theys will be the first," Flassy said.

On Friday, more people, not only indigenous Papuan, or Irian Jaya people, crowded Theys's home.

Thousands of members of tribes from the mountain villages in Jayawijaya, Nabire, Paniai and Manokwari also came down for Theys's funeral.

Some 500 migrants from Toraja, South Sulawesi, who have been living in Jayapura for 30 years, were also seen in the crowd.

It was interesting to see that they, dressed in traditional garb, handed over three pigs and a quantity of rice as an offering to the bereaved family.

"We see him as a big leader of the Ondofolo tribe," said Martin Galigo, one of the Toraja elders.

Despite the final decision to bury Theys's body on Saturday, the cause of Theys's death remains a mystery.

The doctors at the Jayapura General Hospital who had examined Theys's body were sticking to their finding that Theys had choked to death.

Meanwhile, Theys's heart was apparently still in Jayapura.

The organ was supposed to have been flown to Hasanuddin University's forensic laboratory in Makassar for further examination to determine the cause of the 63-year-old's death.

Dr. Purwo, a police commissioner in the Irian Jaya Police, said that he had been waiting for the final nod from his superior to send the organ to Makassar. "But I'm not sure there will be a flight to Makassar," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview from Sentani airport at 11:30 a.m. local time Friday.

There are only two flights by Merpati from Sentani to Makassar on Friday. One in the morning and another one in the afternoon.

A source at Merpati confirmed that Dr. Purwo was not on the list of passengers flying to Makassar on Friday. This means that They's heart is still in Sentani or Jayapura.

If the heart were to be flown on Saturday morning to Makassar, then Theys's body would have to be buried without the organ.