Source APC Newsgroup: act.indonesia
Source APC Newsgroup: act.indonesia
Written by: tapol@gn.apc.org
Date: 04 Nov 1998 13:07:55
Subject: May riots: Facts Not Enough for Military Chief
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL)
Subject: May riots: Facts Not Enough for Military ChiefFrom Joyo
Sydney Morning Herald
Date: 05/11/98INDONESIA
May riots: facts not enough for military chief
Date: 05/11/98
By LOUISE WILLIAMS - Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
Indonesia's military may reject the findings of an official investigation into
May's devastating riots, which has found that some officers provoked violence
so the then Soeharto government could activate extraordinary security powers
to maintain political control.The findings were another humiliating blow to the once all-powerful armed
forces, which have faced a string of damaging human rights investigations
since the fall of the Soeharto government.The report on the riots paints a disturbing picture of a splintered military,
dogged by dangerously politicised factions acting outside the chain of
command.However, it stops short of holding the military responsible for the widespread
chaos, which claimed at least 1,200 lives in Jakarta and more elsewhere.The Chief of the Armed Forces, General Wiranto, warned yesterday against
accepting the analysis of the riots by the Government-appointed fact-finding
team as final.The team found that not only had some members of the military acted as agents
provocateur in the three days of mob violence which rocked Jakarta and other
provincial cities, but that the military had failed to protect the city.The riots followed weeks of growing student protests against the Soeharto
government, as well as the kidnappings and torture of pro-democracy activists
by some members of Kopassus - Indonesia's elite special forces."A series of incidents of violence culminating in the outbreak of the May 13
to May 15 riots can be perceived as an effort geared towards the creation of
an emergency situation which would require the invocation of extra-
Constitutional powers [by Soeharto] to keep the situation under control, with
the preparation towards this having started at the highest decision-making
level," the report said.However, General Wiranto said yesterday: "Please remember that this team was
formed to look for facts, so the analysis they made is not necessarily the
final analysis. We will take follow-up measures."He said the military would compare the fact-finding team's conclusion with the
analysis provided by other government departments, such as the Ministry of
Defence and the Interior.The Government-appointed fact-finding team was made up of Government
representatives, private citizens, human rights activists and representatives
of the security forces.The team recommended that Prabowo Subianto, son-in-law of former President
Soeharto, be brought before a military tribunal for his role in the kidnapping
and torture of anti-Government activists before the riots.It also called for the former Jakarta military commander, Major-General
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, to be held accountable for failing to secure the capital.The report confirmed 66 rapes and 10 other cases of sexual assault against
mainly ethnic Chinese women.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and AcehJoin us to celebrate TAPOL's 25th anniversary on
20 October 1998. Contact us for ticket details.
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