WEST PAPUA: Kidnapped leader found murdered

JAYAPURA (Pacific Media Watch / Radio New Zealand International): A missing West Papua freedom leader has been found dead.

Pacific Media Watch reported on Monday that an international call for information on the whereabouts of Martinus Yohame had been released after he was abducted, allegedly by Indonesian special forces operatives.

Yohame vanished the day after holding a press conference in West Papua where he condemned the Indonesian military occupation.

According to the Free West Papua Campaign, Yohame was called to a meeting with Indonesians from the Human Rights Commission who said they wanted to talk with him. He left his house on August 20 for the meeting and was not seen alive again.

"He has not been seen since and the KNPB strongly suspects that he was kidnapped by the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) because of his strong stance against the Indonesian President who has been trying to promote Raja Ampat to tourists, in an attempt to show the world that 'West Papua is open'," the Free West Papua Campaign said.

Yesterday, Tabloid Jubi newspaper and RNZI reported that fishermen found a floating sack near Nana island with Yohame's body inside.

"His arms and legs were reportedly tied and he had bullet wounds" reported RNZI.

According to Tabloid Jubi:

"When found, Martinus’s body had been tied up tightly in a sack. Both his legs and arms had also been tied, presumably hoping his body would sink to the bottom of the ocean. According to the Sorong City General Hospital’s examination, a gunshot wound was found on the left side of his chest. The victims face was also smashed up by being hit by a hard object. 'We found a gunshot wound in his left chest. His face was destroyed,' said Yori, a worker at the hospital. From data collected by Tabloid Jubi, the external examination conducted at the Sorong Ctiy General Hospital revealed a hole in the left chest 1x1cm, and another in the right side of the stomach of around 2x3cm. The man’s height was 179 centimetres and he had dreadlocks".

Yohame, who was the chair of the Greater Sorong area branch of the West Papua National Committee, had spoken out against last week's visit to the area by the outgoing Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and he had also campaigned against illegal logging.
 

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