Marthen Indey

Major TNI Marthen Indey (1912–1986) 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.

Marthen Indey was born in Doromena, Jayapura Regency, Netherlands New Guinea on 16 March 1912.

His birth name was Soroway Indey, before he was baptized as Marthen (sometimes spelled Marthin or Martin).

His father was an Ondoafi or traditional village leader named Indey, who later on was baptized as Habel.

During his early life, he was greatly influenced by Johannes Bremer, an Ambonese missionary from Kampung Calalar who had been sent by the Dutch to spread Christianity in New Guinea; Marthen Indey, along with other children; Karel Indey, Ruban Mentanawai, Inkas Abisai, and Naomi Apiserai spent part of their childhood living in Ambon with Bremer's family after Bremer was replaced with A. Nanuilata.

Indey improved his command of the Malay language while a primary student in Volkschool in Ambon which he attended after his right index finger is able to reach touch the tip of the left ear when his right arm is over the head, a sign for the start of school age; at the time the language was not commonly spoken in many eastern parts of the Indies as compared to Java and Sumatra.

Unlike his nephew Karel who went on to continue study in Depok and ODO (Opleiding Voor Dorpzonderwijzen) in Miei, Wandormen and become teacher in Hollandia, Indey was known as a rebellious and adventurous child which did not like education in classrooms.

He also 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 Kweekschool voor Indische Schepelingen (KTS), which he eventually graduated from in 1932.

It was after his first actual service aboard a ship, the Zeven Provincien, that he abandoned the idea of a naval career and decided to become a police officer instead.

Therefore, in June 1934 he enrolled in the police academy in Sukabumi, West Java; he completed his training there in 1935.

In late 1935, he was sent to be a member of an Ambonese police detachment in his birthplace, New Guinea.

During his time there he involved himself various Dutch campaigns to break the resistance of local Papuan tribes.

From this success, he was transferred to Manokwari in December 1935.

He was involved in the opening of two new settlements in Waropen Atas, Mamberano Tengah, and Waropenkai (Demba).

It was during this phase of his life that he met and married his wife, Agustina Heumasse, from Negeri Kamarian in Seram Island; their marriage took place in Manokwari.

On 10 January 1937 he was transferred to Serui, from here he was involved in an expedition to set up post Bivak Pionier Memberamo with the boat Reger Patrouville, these activities in opening Memberamo village last until April 1938.

During 1938–1940, he was involved in three expeditions from the northern coast of Napan (near Nabire) to the southern coast near Mimika.

The first expedition was done in 1938 with J.P.K. Van Eechoed, as a result of these 8 months expedition he was given the recognition Trouw en Verdienste from Dutch authorities.

The second expedition was with Police commissioner Van Krieken and C.A Harzen.

Lastly the third expedition was in the beginning of 1940 to conduct feasibility study on building roads through the Paniai interior from Seruwo river to Wisselmer with a Dutch civil engineer from Makassar.

During 1940 and 1941, Indey worked in the clandestine colonial police to track the movements of Japanese agents in Manokwari, who the Dutch believed to be scouting the region for an eventual invasion, disguised as fishermen and plantation workers.

These plantation workers were working for a cotton plantation Nanyo Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha (NKKK) in Ransiki Manokwari, Nabire, and Wandamen Peninsula.

While fishermen were working from the surrounding islands including Room, Meoswar, and Rumberpon.

It was later found out that Japanese were preparing Manokwari as a base for their invasion.

In the middle of NKKK plantation they found a secret runway, the Japanese also buried uniforms, ammunitions, grenades, small cannons, and machine guns during the night.

In 1941 Indey was moved to Ambon and later Tanah Merah, Digul as a field police, Vedpolitie.

He was working here until the declaration of World War 2, in here he was working as the deputy commander of the police Tweede Posthuiscommandant.

The Dutch authorities retracted the military from Digul because they want to concentrate their force in Ambon to face the Japanese, hence the camp was left to the vedpolitie.

It was here when he encountered a cadre of Indonesian independence activists being interned in Boven-Digoel, that he became converted to their cause.

As a trusted member of the colonial police, he was more free than most non-Europeans to interact with these political prisoners, and he apparently spent much of his time trading stories with them.

Among the prisoners he befriended there were Sukardjo, Sugoro Atmoprasodjo (a former teacher from Taman Siswa), and Hamid Siregar (Panggoncang Alam from Tapanuli).

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.

He was also 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.

Although this plot would later be uncovered and he was exiled in all but name with his wife and child to Anida forest in Pesnamnam, a region which was known for cannibals from Jair and Mandobo, for 8 months he would live a miserable nomadic life until they found a Catholic priest from southeast Moluccas.

He would eventually be recalled to spy on Japanese movement in Asmat regions.

Despite his political alignment, as a government employee he followed Dutch official figures into exile in Australia during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies.

In July 1943 he and a group of 32 civil employees sailed from Tanahmerah Bay, Digul to Brisbane and Cairns.

He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 1993 along with two other people of Papuan descent, Frans Kaisiepo and Silas Papare.

One of these incidents was with Ayam tribe part of Asmat tribe which consisted of 2000 members, Ayam tribe repeatedly attacked Dutch position in Mimika.

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 (Mimika).