Constructing Papuan Nationalism: History, Ethnicity ... - ScholarSpace

106central government launched a crackdown involving the arrest of proindependenceleaders and the banning of the West Papuan flag. OnNovember 11, 2001, Theys Eluay, the Presidium chairman, was foundmurdered; members of the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) later wereconvicted of the crime. During the same month, the Indonesian legislaturepassed a bill based on a draft prepared by a group of Papuan intellectualsgranting the province special autonomy and a new name. The fate of the2001 special autonomy law (UU No. 21/2001), which provides theprovince with a greater share of the territory’s vast natural resource earningsand calls for the founding of an indigenous upper house, came intoquestion in January 2003, when President Megawati Sukarnoputri signedan instruction (Inpres No. 1/2003) ordering the immediate implementationof a 1999 law (UU No. 45/1999) dividing Irian Jaya into three newprovinces. Between August 23 and September 7, 2003, rioting betweenpro-and anti-division groups in the mining town, Timika, cost five peopletheir lives.