TAPOL Report on Meeting with Ben Bradshwa, Minister of State at the Foreign Affairs

TAPOL today wrote to Ben Bradshaw, Minister of State at the Foreign Office calling for action from the UK and the European Union in response to the attempt made on the life of Yemet Imowi, a key witness in the killing of the West Papuan leader, Theys Eluay in November last year.

It also warned that the results of the investigations into the killing carried out by the KPN, set up in March by Pppresident Mmegawati, were very
unsatisfactory and were creating further disquiet among the people of West Papua.

Yemet Imowi, a casual employee at the Kopassus base which was visited by Theys Eluay just before he was abducted on 10 November and then killed, gave crucial testimony about Theys's driver, Aristoteles Masuko, who he saw at the Kopassus base shortly after the abduction. The driver has since disappeared, for which, TAPOL said, 'Kopassus must be called to account'.

In its letter TAPOL called on the British government to: 

1. Along with its EU partners, convey its deep concern to the Indonesian government about this attempt on the life of a key witness in the Theys case and call for the man who made the attempt to be place under arrest and charged.
2. Call on the Indonesian authorities to take firm measures to give protection to all the witnesses who have testified so far.
3. Urge the Indonesian government to publish the KPN report as stipulated in the President’s decision when the Commission was set up.

It said that the attempt on Yemet’s life and the unsatisfactory results of the KPN investigations are already creating further disquiet in West Papua. 

The international community must now turn its attention to the question of ensuring that an independent investigation into the killing takes place within the terms of Law 26/2000 on Human Rights Courts.