'Witnesses' offer confusing testimony in Theys' trial

'Witnesses' offer confusing testimony in Theys' trial

Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Five witnesses testified in court here on Monday that they had
never seen any of seven soldiers charged with murdering Papuan
separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay two years ago.

The five said could not identify any of the defendants from
the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) as the killers of Theys,
leader of the separatist Papua Presidium Council (DPP).

Speaking at the military tribunal in the East Java capital of
Surabaya, the "witnesses" -- all from Papua -- however, admitted
that they only knew about the details of the murder from the
print and electronic media.

Theys was found dead in his car on the outskirts of the Papua
provincial capital, Jayapura, on Nov. 11, 2001, one day after
having been kidnapped as he returned home from a dinner hosted by
the local regiment of Kopassus.

The dinner was part of the celebrations of the National Heroes
Day. The whereabouts of Theys' driver remains unknown.

Tabitha Latuperissa, one of the five witnesses, said she saw
Theys leaving the Kopassus compound in his Kijang van
accompanied by an unnamed man.

She said Theys was escorted by other people who got into a
separate red Kijang, but she could not identify the other people,
however.

Lt. Col. Hartomo, the highest ranking defendant who is the
local Kopassus chief, dismissed Tabitha's testimony.

"I was one of those who accompanied Pak Theys out of the
Kopassus office to his car. I did not see another man with him as
claimed by Tabitha," he said.

Another witness Yustinus Hariyadi Wahyudianto admitted he saw
two men who had "pushed something" inside the kijang when he was
traveling by an ojek (motorcycle taxi) from Jayapura to Abepura
on Nov. 10, 2001.

Asked further whether the two men in question were among the
defendants, Yustinus said he was not sure.

Prosecutors charge that Theys and his missing driver had
shouted "thief... thief" when the car was carrying him home from
the Kopassus compound.

At the time, Theys' mouth was bound and gagged by Second Pvt.
Achmad Zulfahmi, one of the seven defendants, and the separatist
leader was later left "incapacitated", they added.

Meanwhile, the wife of Theys was unable to testify on Monday
at the murder trial because she had not received funds to finance
the trip, according to her son, identified only as Boy.

But prosecutors claimed that they had wired money to Yaneke
Eluay Ohee for her trip from Jayapura to Surabaya.

"Yaneke could not appear today (Monday) to testify because the
situation is not safe," chief prosecutor Col. Haryanto later
said.

Theys led a peaceful campaign for an independence referendum
in the resource-rich province. His murder has increased the
distrust felt by Papuans toward the security forces in the
province.

The seven defendants could be sentenced to a maximum of 15
years in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder.