Dozens of ethnic-Chinese shop owners in Jayapura have been told their premises will soon to be confiscated by the militia because they were built on Papuan land. It's scary, it's very dangerous. Even more dangerous, say human rights activists, is the formation of a rival militia backed by the Indonesian military. The group has adopted the name of a militia group that rampaged through East Timor Portuguese territory last year. Red and white are the colors of Indonesia's flag.
Indonesian authorities deny they are funding or training their own militia.
But in March Indonesian soldiers and the Satgas Merah Putih attacked a village near the town of Fak Fak, after the people had beaten up an Indonesian-appointed administrator. Forty-five villagers who did not escape were arrested and tortured. The village was destroyed. Police chief Wenas admits that the Satgas Merah Putih commander is a former independence guerrilla called Yapmorey who has links to the military. Eluay's militias are believed to have detained him last week as he also tried to leave the province for Jakarta.