Juli 28, 2002 16:49:28

Mixed Theories On Papuan Leader’s Death

November 12, 2001 10:09 PM, 

Laksamana.Net - Police, military and civilian leaders have expounded wildly different theories on the cause of death of West Papuan leader Theys Hiu Eluay, found dead in his car near the border with Papua New Guinea. Given Indonesia’s propensity for cover-ups, the truth might never be revealed. 

Theys was reported abducted on Saturday (10/11/2001) night. His driver telephoned Theys’ wife saying “amber” – a local word for non-Papuans – had stopped their car and driven off with the leader of the Papua Presidium Council (PDP). 

The two had been on their way back to Theys’ home in Sentani, 50 kilometers from the provincial capital Jayapura, after attending National Heroes Day celebrations at the local headquarters of the Army's elite Kopassus special forces. The fate of the driver remains unknown. 

Theys was one of the province’s leading politicians. He prospered in the parliament under former strongman Suharto and then positioned himself as a leading independence figure after Suharto’s fall in 1998. 

PDP declared last year that the former Dutch colony had never been legally part of Indonesia and just last month it strongly rejected the new special autonomy law that grants the province 80% of forestry and fishing revenues and 70% from the oil and gas sector. 

Several leaders PDP officials, including Theys’ son Boy Eluay, were reportedly present when the body was removed from the scene on Sunday. 

Theys’ lawyer said the corpse was badly bruised and bearing what appeared to be torture marks, but other reports of his condition were less decisive. Antara said Theys was found with a small cut visible near his left eyebrow, scars on his hands and dried blood in his left nostril. 

Many people immediately suspected foul play and rejected claims that Theys had suffered a heart attack and crashed his car. House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tanjung said the murder was clearly politically motivated, although he would not comment on the motives. 

Widely respected Indonesian human rights organization TAPOL issued a statement claiming the military had laid a trap and assassinated Theys with the aim of provoking protests and violence. 

The Papuan branch of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) condemned the murder and also voiced concerns it had been perpetrated by parties wishing to stir up religious tension. 

Native Papuans are predominantly Christian, and Theys was found dead only two kilometers from the Central Koya transmigration complex, which is home to mainly Javanese Muslim migrant workers and their families. 

MUI stressed that Presidium Council secretary general Thaha M. Al-Hamid was a member of the ulemas council and had been on trial with Theys and three other separatist leaders for subversion, rebellion and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security. 

Commander of the Trikora military district overseeing the province, Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon, speaking in Magelang, Central Java, rejected speculation that Kopassus was behind Theys’ death. “That would be like throwing shit in our own faces,” he was quoted as saying eloquently by detikcom. 

Army chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the military joined the West Papuan people in mourning because Theys supported efforts “to bring Papua back into the unitary state.” 

Police suspect foul play, but not by their military colleagues. 

Police spokesman Saleh Saaf said in Jakarta Monday eight people had been questioned by a fact-finding team. He said there were three theories on the murder of Theys. 

The first two theories were virtually the same: Theys was closer to the faction of the Papuan movement committed to a peaceful resolution of the separatist conflict and could have been murdered by pro-independence hardliners of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). 

The third hypothesis also did not implicate the military or police: the killing was a purely criminal matter. 

Despite the suspicious circumstance, the director of the Jayapura Central Hospital, where the autopsy was conducted, told the press Monday morning that Theys had died of natural causes. 

The autopsy showed wounds around the victim’s lips and nose, and traces of semen on his clothes, pointing to a lack of oxygen as the cause of death, he said. 

Trikora commander Simbolon said reports from the West Papua Police deputy chief indicated Theys’ body showed no signs of torture and he had probably died of heart complications. 

The deputy police chief, Brig. Gen. Rajimin Tarigan, is also head of the fact-finding team investigating the murder. 

Simbolon said the body might be taken to Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province, for a further autopsy, as facilities there were better than in Jayapura. 

Minor rioting in parts of Jayapura and Sentani followed the death of the flamboyant West Papuan leader. 

The Jakarta Post reported that dozens of locals in Abepantai, Jayapura, stopped the convoy carrying Theys' body until Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police fired warning shots to disburse the crowd. 

The most serious disturbances occurred in Theys’ hometown of Sentani, where the market place and branch offices of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and the Bank Pembangunan Daerah (BPD) were destroyed. 

National Police spokesman Saaf told detikcom the rioters might not be Theys’ supporters but troublemakers seeking to exploit the tense situation. 

Theys’ body was reportedly taken through the streets of Jayapura as a sign of respect without major incident. 

Police are on high alert in Jayapura and Sentani and more unrest is expected. 

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the death of Theys was a setback for the government’s efforts to resolve the separatist problem, especially as there appeared to have been a breakthrough in recent weeks. 

“We are concerned and regret [the death]. In fact we genuinely want to resolve the problems in Papua with wisdom, including the implementation of special autonomy and developing the social and security situation, and all of a sudden this comes up,” he said at a press conference Monday. 

The impending implementation of the regional autonomy legislation next year is perhaps the most critical factor behind the murder and the political maneuverings to follow. 

Many parties stand to benefit from the weakening of the Papua Presidium Council and deterioration of the security situation. 

Unrest would justify further military crackdowns on rebels, particularly in the lead-up to and during the separatist movement’s ‘independence day’ celebrations on December 1. 

Weakening the PDP would allow others to take over negotiations on the implementation of regional autonomy – widely suspected to involve high-level deals between business tycoons, the military, government officials and Papuan community leaders, including Theys’ rivals in the OPM and a group led by Yorrys Raweyai, who is strongly connected to the Suharto regime and the military. 

The ordinary people of the province, however, will most keenly feel the effects of the setback caused by Theys' death. 

Possible ethnic violence, an escalation in military repression and the weakening of representational institutions will leave them with fewer options in their struggle for peace and equality in the troubled province. 

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