Indonesian military denies link to Eluay murder

Thousands of supporters of slain pro-independence leader Theys Eluay accompany his body as it is brought to his home in the outskirts of Jayapura

By Amy Chew

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia's special forces, Kopassus, have denied any involvement in the killing of a separatist leader in the troubled province of Papua, saying such an act on their part would be "stupid."

Separatist leader Theys Eluay, 64, was found dead on November 10 in his car in a ravine after having dinner with the local Kopassus commander in Papua's capital of Jayapura.

Eluay was head of the separatist Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) which is fighting for independence from Indonesia through peaceful negotiations.

"A lot of people blame Kopassus for that (killing). It is not true," a senior Kopassus official, who dined with Eluays on that fateful night, told CNN from Jayapura.

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"It is stupid for us to do that -- we invite him to our place and then we kill him, it's stupid isn't it," said the official who spoke on condition of annonymity.

The country's state-run human rights commission over the weekend was quoted as saying it had received information from people in Papua that the murder involved Kopassus members but that those statements needed to be verified.

Papua police chief, Inspector-General Made Mangku Pastika, said based on the facts and the condition of Eluay's body, he was kidnapped and murdered.

"But we have yet to establish who the perpetrators are as investigations are still underway," Pastika told CNN from Jayapura.

Riots

Eluay's death has angered many Papuans who revered him as their leader, triggering riots when news of his death was first known. More than 10,000 thronged the streets to attend his funeral last week.

Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1963 after a U.N.-sanctioned vote for integration by about 1,000 tribal leaders. Eluay supported the vote for Indonesian rule and served in the local parliament for 15 years.

When he failed to win re-election to the local legislation, Eluay started calling for independence and later helped establish the separatist PDP.

Unanswered questions still surround the death of separatist leader Theys Eluay

Eluay rejected the hardline stance of the Free Papua movement (OPM) who has waged an armed insurgency against the central government for decades.

Resentment against the central government has grown through the years as Papuans perceive Jakarta as plundering their vast natural resources without heeding their basic needs and rights.

"This assassination, whoever did it and whatever the motivation, give a negative effect for Indonesia. It could be used by pro-independence groups to rally more support for independence," said Andi Mallarangeng, analyst from the Institute of Government Studies.

"If there are elements of the state who did this, then it is very, very stupid. That is why the police have to investigate this and soon, so that those who are responsible can be brought to court and if found guilty, should be hanged," said Mallarangeng.

Hardliners

The Kopassus official said there were several possible groups who could be behind the killings, including hardline Free Papua members or elements of the military

"All this while, OPM has been fighting for independence, living in the jungles. And Theys suddenly emerge and is regarded as a big leader. It is possible that this makes OPM uneasy with Theys' existence," said the Kopassus offiicial.

"There could also be elements of the military who don't like Theys. If so, it is clear they are operating outside of the military's command structure as there has never been an order from the armed forces chief to use violence," said the Kopassus official.

The official said the military has been using persuasive means in dealing with independence activists apart from the times when they are faced with armed groups.

"And Theys is not armed. We consider him a hero as he was one of the tribal leaders who signed the vote for integration," said the Kopassus official.