12 high-ranking officers named as suspects<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A National Military Police officer confirmed on
\nThursday that 12 high-ranking officers had been named as suspects
\nin the July 27, 1996 violent takeover of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) headquarters in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Col. Hendardji, Director of Investigation at the National
\nMilitary Police headquarters (Puspom), said the suspects would be
\ncharged with Article 170 of the Criminal Code on uses of
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
The Article carries two different maximum jail sentences to
\nthe violators: seven to nine years imprisonment if the violence
\ncauses the victim(s) to suffer severe injuries, and 12 years in
\njail if the victim(s) die.<\/p>\n
Hendardji, also a member of a joint National Police-Military
\nPolice investigation team, however, refused to disclose the
\nidentities of the suspects nor their roles during the attack.<\/p>\n
\"If we disclose the suspects' identities to the press now, the
\npublic will tip them as guilty. Meanwhile, they have yet to be
\nprosecuted,\" he told The Jakarta Post by phone on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"It's not only the suspects, but also their families who will
\nsuffer if their identities are revealed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A list of military and police officers allegedly implicated in
\nthe July 1996 incident, however, shows that there are 22
\nsuspects, instead of 12.<\/p>\n
The list, which was made available to journalists on Thursday,
\nalso shows that the 22 suspects are part of a group of 58
\nsecurity officers who have been questioned by the joint
\ninvestigation team since June 2000.<\/p>\n
Among the high-ranking police and military officers who were
\ntipped as suspects in the list were: Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung,
\nformer chief of the former Armed Forces (ABRI); Gen. (ret) Dibyo
\nWidodo, former chief of the National Police; Lt. Gen. (ret)
\nSyarwan Hamid, former chief of ABRI Sociopolitical Affairs; Lt.
\nGen. (ret) Sutiyoso, former chief of City Military command and
\nincumbent Governor of Jakarta; Lt. Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, former City Military command's chief of staff and
\nincumbent Minister of Mines and Energy; Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar
\nMakarim, former chief of ABRI's Intelligence Body (BIA) and Insp.
\nGen. Hamami Nata, former City Police chief.<\/p>\n
Fourteen other security officers have yet to be declared as
\nsuspects, but their names were put under the \"witness\/suspect\"
\ncolumn, meaning that there was strong indications that they would
\nalso be tipped as suspects.<\/p>\n
The remaining 22 security officers were nominated as
\nwitnesses.<\/p>\n
Hendardji insisted that the number of the suspects were only
\n12, not 22.<\/p>\n
\"Until today, there are 12 suspects in the list. However, it
\ncan increase along with the progress of the investigation,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Hendardji admitted that the team had faced some scheduling
\nproblems with the investigation.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the officers have moved to new duty areas, such as
\nMaluku and East Nusa Tenggara. Others had important jobs which
\nthey couldn't abandon,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendardji vowed that the team would soon complete the
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
\"We'll complete the questioning in early September,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The high-ranking officers to be questioned on Monday are Maj.
\nGen. Zacky Anwar Makarim and Brig. Gen. Basir Badrawi, former
\nadjutant of then National Police chief Gen. (ret) Dibyo Widodo,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Separately, another team member, Sr. Supt. Makbul Padmanegara
\nsaid the team had questioned 86 civilians about the case.<\/p>\n
\"Some 11 out of the 86 witnesses have been designated as
\nsuspects,\" Makbul, an officer at the National Police detectives
\nunit, said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Civilians have been questioned by police investigators, while
\nsecurity officers were questioned by the team.<\/p>\n
Separately, seven activists of the Communication Forum for
\nRelatives of the Victims of the July 27, 19966 Incident staged a
\nprotest at the National Military Police Headquarters on Jl. Medan
\nMerdeka Timur on Thursday, demanding an honest and fair
\ninvestigation into the 1996 incident.<\/p>\n
Deputy National Military Police chief Brig. Gen. Ruchjan told
\nthe visiting delegation that the team would soon complete the
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
On that fateful day, a group of supporters of PDI's splinter
\nfaction, backed by elements of ABRI, raided and took over the
\nparty headquarters from the loyalists of ousted PDI leader
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The party headquarters' takeover triggered unrest throughout
\nCentral Jakarta on the same day, resulting in the deaths of at
\nleast five people. Twenty-three people are still missing.
\n(asa\/07)<\/p>",
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