Theys Eluay

Who was Theys Eluay?

Theys Eluay was born in Sere Village in Sentani, in what was then Dutch New Guinea. He went to the "Jongensvervolgschool" in Yoka, a boarding school, led by the Dutch missionary Izaak Samuel Kijne. After the JVS he followed a course in meteorology and worked then as a meteorological assistant. He also became an "ondoafi", a traditional leader of a village. In 1962 Indonesia took over New Guinea from the Dutch. Theys helped the Indonesian army and police to find Papuans who were anti-Indonesian. This led to a great number of casualties in the Sentani area. In 1969 there was an Act of Free Choice, under UN supervision, to determine the wishes of the Papuans with regard to their political status. Theys was one of those few Papuans selected to take part in this Consultation, which unanimously voted for integration with Indonesia. In 1971 he became a Member of Parliament. In 1980 he joined the Adat Council as a representative for the Sentani area, and later for the whole of Papua Province. In 1990 he became its Chairman. From 1996 onwards the Council became more political, while, with the increased political freedom after the downfall of Soeharto in 1998, the Council really began to speak out in the open about the political status of Papua and about the right of the Papuans to self-determination.