1. Major TNI Marthen Indey was a colonial police officer in New Guinea, Dutch East Indies who later became nationalist fighter in the Indonesian National Revolution and a supporter of Papua becoming part of Indonesia.
22 Facts About Marthen Indey
1. 2.
Marthen Indey was declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 1993 along with two other people of Papuan descent, Frans Kaisiepo and Silas Papare.
3.
Marthen Indey was born in Doromena, Jayapura Regency, Netherlands New Guinea on 16 March 1912.
4.
Marthen Indey's father was an Ondoafi or traditional village leader named Indey, who later on was baptized as Habel.
5.
Unlike his nephew Karel who went on to continue study in Depok and ODO in Miei, Wandormen and become teacher in Hollandia, Marthen Indey was known as a rebellious and adventurous child which did not like education in classrooms.
6.
Marthen Indey did not like the religious emphasis in reading, writing and singing, nevertheless he graduated from the district school in 1926, and subsequently enrolled in the native naval school in Makassar, the, which he eventually graduated from in 1932.
7.
Marthen Indey solved this by becoming nude to go inside their village and discussed peaceful coexistence with local tribal leaders, and from these meetings it was agreed they will not attack Kakanao.
8.
Marthen Indey was involved in the opening of two new settlements in Waropen Atas, Mamberano Tengah, and Waropenkai.
9.
In 1941 Marthen Indey was moved to Ambon and later Tanah Merah, Digul as a field police, Vedpolitie.
10.
Marthen Indey was working here until the declaration of World War 2, in here he was working as the deputy commander of the police Tweede Posthuiscommandant.
11.
Marthen Indey supposedly buried weapons and resources confiscated from Japanese agents during this time, which years later would be dug up and used in the independence struggle.
12.
Marthen Indey was plotting to kidnap Dutch figures at this time, Controleur Wagner and a Dutch Pastor, in conjunction with Japanese forced movement to the south after capturing Fakfak on 1 April 1942.
13.
In October 1946, Marthen Indey joined the Komite Indonesia Merdeka, an anti-Dutch clandestine organization in Abepura, a branch of an organization from Melbourne which aimed to support the 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence.
14.
In January 1947 Marthen Indey traveled to Ambon Island to join the clandestine struggle against the Dutch there.
15.
Marthen Indey was generally considered the leader of the pro-Indonesian Papuans there.
16.
The international press at the time speculated that Marthen Indey was hiding them from authorities and giving them material support.
17.
Marthen Indey managed to safe surrounded 9 RKPAD members from Dutch forces and hide them in the forest of Sabron Dosai.
18.
Over 2 years from 1 August 1963, Marthen Indey would be the resident of Kotabaru and assistant to Governor of Papua.
19.
From 1963 to 1968, Marthen Indey was elected to the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly representing Irian Jaya.
20.
Marthen Indey participated in the 1964 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung.
21.
Marthen Indey was imprisoned temporarily in 1965 because he was accused of participating with OPM although later on proven to be false.
22.
On 14 September 1993, Marthen Indey was declared National Hero of Indonesia.