We’ll Never Forget About Murder 13 Years Ago

Theys Hiyo Eluay (IST)

Jayapura, Jubi – Thirteen years ago, on Saturday, 10 November 2001 at 10:30 Papua time, the Tribuana Taskforce Unit Commander (Military Special Force), Colonel Infantry Hartomo came to pick up the Papuan pro-independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay at his house. Thirty minutes later Eluay departed from his house to Matoa Hotel to attend the Papua Presidium Council’s meeting. But he never returned home in Sentani.  

The next day, on 11 November 2001, he was found dead in his car at KM 9, Koya, Muara tami, Jayapura. His body was found in a sitting position with two legs stretching forward and red marks on his belly. No one denied that he was murdered.

Two years later, seven members of the Tribuana Taskforce Unit of the Military Special Force were brought  to the Supreme Military Court in Surabaya. On 21 April 2003, the judge convicted them of murdering Theys Hiyo Eluay. They are the Lieutenant Infantry Hartomo, Major Infantry Donny Hutabarat, First Lieutenant Infantry Agus Supriyanto, Soldier Chief Achmad Zulfahmi, Captain Infantry Rinardo, First Sergeant Asrial and First Sergeant Laurensius.

And years later, the government still forgets that not only has the crime  taken Eluay’s life, but his driver Aristoteles Masoka, who was 23 years old, were missing and never to be found again.

Rights activists who investigated the murder case of Eluay found a witness who later admitted to taking Aristoteles Masoka to the Tribuana Taskforce Unit Office in Hanurata-Hamadi.

The witnesses admitted they were at around the Pemda I Entrop-Jayapura housing when Eluay was kidnapped. They saw a dark blue car headed the same dark color car that later known as Eluay’s. Two men came out of the headed car and punched on Aristoteles and tried to pull the car’s door. They could seize the Eluay’s car and drove until 50 meters from the scene.

Masoka was thrown out of the car. He run and asked the witnesses to drop him to the Tribuana Taskforce Unit Office at Hanurata-Hamadi. They dropped him around five meters from the office. This is the last information founded about Aristoteles Masoka, although later the civil society group’s investigation mentioned a witness who attended the same event that also attended by Eluay before he got killed, saw someone embraced by two men came into the room from the entry.

Until now, Aristoteles Masoka remains a mystery. If the murder investigation of Theys Eluay ended with the sentence of the seven members of Military Special Force at the Military Court, but the missing of Aristoteles Masoka who should be a key witness for the murder case has not yet investigated.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the convicted soldiers after their sentence continue to get carrier promotion. A researcher and freelance journalist Made Supriatna wrote about it in the web indoprogress.com.

They might be forgot, but we never forget! (Victor Mambor)

 Resource : www.tabloidjubi.com