The murder of Theys Hiyo Eluay, leader of the Inter-tribal Council and the PPC

Twenty thousand Papuans came (by foot) to witness the burial of Theys Hiyo Eluay, first leader of the Inter-tribal Council and the Papua Presidium Council (PPC), assassinated in 2001 by an elite group of the Indonesian military.

Some reports claim that Theys was kidnapped and tortured prior to his death. During the trial for his murder, Indonesian soldiers admitted killing Theys to prevent him from declaring Papuan independence. The Indonesian court sentenced the seven men to between two and three and a half years in jail (reports vary).

General Ryamizard Ryacudu, Army Chief of Staff had this to say about the convicted soldiers:
"I don't know, people say they did wrong, they broke the law. What law? Okay, we are a state based on the rule of law, so they have been punished. But for me, they are heroes because the person they killed was a rebel leader."

Chief of the Sentani tribe, Theys Eluay was an inspirational and charismatic leader who clearly was loved by many Papuans - but not all. He was a man of contradictions.

Surprisingly, Theys Eluay served as Chair of the Act of Free Choice Council established by Indonesia in 1969, and was one of the 1,025 leaders who voted to incorporate West Papua into Indonesia. Leading up to this, Theys was accused of personally requesting the summary executions of 20 Papuans who advocated independence. For the next 15 years he represented West Papua in Jakarta as a member of the infamous General Suharto's Golkar Party. He was also known for having close contacts in the Indonesian military. There has been much speculation as to whose side he was actually on.

However, after the fall of Suharto, Theys seemed to change direction and became a dedicated champion for West Papuan independence. Within a short time he was forgiven by the vast majority of Papuans and became a beloved popular icon for Papuan self-determination. Theys was often described as a moderate who, within a few years, managed to unite a wide array of disparate groups into a single representative body (the Papua Presidium Council) calling for independence through dialogue and other peaceful means.

Many suggest that his assassination was a strategic operation designed to provoke the Papuan people into acts of protest in order to escalate and justify further violence. Indeed, this did occur in the years following his death.

To hear an inspirational musical tribute to Theys Eluay, follow this link to the Music/Video section of our website: Theys Goodbye