We prefer security to autonomy: Papuan council

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The secretary-general of the proindependence Papuan Presidium Council (PDP), Thaha Al Hamid, said in Jayapura on Thursday that Papuans (indigenous people of Irian Jaya) wanted the government to guarantee their right to life despite their constant demands for freedom.

"A government guarantee to protect us is more important than the promised special autonomy," Al Hamid said in a telephone interview on Thursday.

"How can we live normally if our right to life is not guaranteed?" he said, adding that a list of names of Irian Jaya figures who were to be "eliminated" had been circulated in many parts of the easternmost province. He didn't explain whether Theys Hiyo Eluay was one of the people on the list or whether any other PDP activists were on the list.

Theys was found dead in his car at Muara Tami, a district west of Jayapura. A group of people had reportedly attacked his driver Ari Masoka before kidnapping him on Saturday night shortly after he left a dinner party hosted by the local military.

Willem Onde, another prominent separatist, went missing and was found dead in a remote area in the province about two months prior to Theys's demise.

"We want President Megawati Soekarnoputri to come here with assurances that the government will protect all Papuans against violence," he said.

Megawati plans to visit Irian Jaya on Dec. 22 to give the Irian Jaya people the special autonomy law, which has already been passed by the House of representatives, as a Christmas gift.

Asked whether the PDP would continue with the fight for freedom, Al Hamid said that it was not the PDP that wanted freedom.

"The PDP has been entrusted by the Papuans to fight for independence. If tomorrow the people come and tell us to stop fighting for freedom, then the PDP will do so," he explained.

He said, however, that freedom could only be achieved as the outcome of dialog. "Let's talk about the process. We want to sit down together with Indonesian officials to talk about the truth and the history of Papua."

The PDP had on many occasions proposed that a dialog with independent witnesses and observers be held between the government and Irian Jaya people, but the government has never responded positively, he said

"Instead of holding a dialog with us, the government offered us a special autonomy law with sharing of the revenue obtained from natural resources," he said. "Once again, what is important for our people is not revenue sharing. We want our lives to be protected and we want to sit down with government officials to talk about historic truths. Just listen to us, don't discriminate against Papuans."

The Dutch colonial administration handed over West Papua (then known as Irian Barat, or West Irian, to Indonesia) to the United Nations in 1962. The UN ruled the territory through its Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) for eight months before handing over the gold-rich Irian Barat to Indonesia in May 1963.

In 1969, the United Nations set up a council to organize a plebiscite aimed at deciding whether Irian Barat would remain as part of Indonesia or become independent (one of the members of the council was Theys). The council endorsed Irian Barat's integration into Indonesia. Later, the name Irian Barat was changed to Irian Jaya during Soeharto's administration.

Asked about the death of PDP chairman Theys, Al Hamid said that as an organization the PDP had its internal mechanisms. "The organization keeps going," he said.

He added that he had no idea who or what was behind Theys's death.

Although the PDP, Theys's relatives and the tribal council have decided to have Theys's body buried on Saturday, the cause of his death was still shrouded in mystery as of Friday.

An examination of Theys's heart, which should have been performed at the police's forensic laboratory in Makassar, had yet to be carried out late on Thursday.

"I was informed that the Jayapura General Hospital sent the organs to Theys's family on Wednesday. I was surprised because the organs should have been flown to Makassar. I don't know what was behind this," Al Hamid said.

In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf confirmed on Thursday that Theys's heart had been dispatched on Thursday to the police's central forensics laboratory in Makassar for a more in-depth investigation into the cause of Theys's death.