Heri Retnowati, Surabaya – Seven Indonesian special forces soldiers went on trial on Friday for the killing of an independence leader in Papua in what is seen as a test of Jakarta's ability to tackle rebellion in the remote province.

The November 2001 killing of the charismatic Theys Eluay, Papua's most prominent independence leader and who advocated separation through peaceful means, shocked Papuans and deepened distrust toward the central government in Jakarta.

One independence leader has said the trials of the soldiers from the feared Kopassus unit would be a farce. The hearings follow a landmark peace pact signed last month between Jakarta and rebels in Aceh, Indonesia's other separatist hot spot.

In the first clear details of what happened, military prosecutor Hariyanto said two of the accused were told by a Kopassus officer to accompany Theys in his car back home after the Papuan had eaten dinner with the local Kopassus chief.

The officer who gave that order, Lieutenant-Colonel Hartomo, is the highest-ranking soldier on trial for the murder.

Hariyanto said one of the men in Theys' car, soldier Ahmad Zulfahmi, clamped his hand over Theys' mouth three times until he stopped breathing after the victim angrily said Jakarta's promises to offer more autonomy to Papua were a deception.

"Ahmad Zulfahmi suffocated Theys with his hands. When Theys didn't move, Ahmad Zulfahmi let go and at the same time Theys yelled for help ... During the third attempt, Theys could breathe no more," Hariyanto told the military tribunal.

Lawyer Ruhut Sitompul, one of several civilian lawyers helping defend the seven, did not say if the men had denied involvement in the killing, but added there was nothing deliberate about it. Sitompul said Hartomo told his men to ask Theys about an apparent plan to declare independence.

"'It's up to you what you do to stop the victim proclaiming independence, but don't hurt him'," he quoted Hartomo as saying.

Unlike most Indonesians who are Muslim, a majority of Papuans are Christian or animist. A low-level guerrilla conflict has simmered in Papua, formerly called Irian Jaya, for decades, unlike Aceh where an independence war has killed more than 10,000 people since the mid-1970s.

Several of the accused soldiers, who followed Theys' vehicle in another car, witnessed the killing, Hariyanto said. Theys was found dead in his overturned car beside a remote road.

Hariyanto said the accused faced jail terms of 10 to 15 years, although it was unclear if all were charged with murder. Kopassus has insisted it did not order the killing.

Theys was leader of the Papua Presidium Council, which sought independence peacefully. His replacement has mocked the trials.

"Soldiers killed him and soldiers will try the case ... What kind of justice is that?" Tom Beanal said last week.

The trial will put the spotlight on Kopassus, which earned a notorious reputation for its alleged role in the torture and abduction of dissidents during former autocrat Suharto's 32-year rule that ended in chaos in 1998.

Many diplomats had predicted the investigation would be blocked or dropped, but attribute much of its progress to former Papua police chief, Major-General Made Mangku Pastika, who has since taken over the inquiry into the October Bali bomb attacks. He has also won praise for his handling of that investigation. The trial was adjourned until next Friday.