ABRI to summon Prabowo soon<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense\/Armed Forces Commander Gen.
\nWiranto said on Tuesday he would summon Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo
\nSubianto, former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
\n(Kostrad), to question him about a meeting at Kostrad
\nheadquarters one day after violent rioting in the capital.<\/p>\n
He also told legislators that Prabowo, also former commander
\nof the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and son-in-law of former
\npresident Soeharto, could be brought to court for his involvement
\nin the abduction of activists if required by the ongoing trial of
\n11 Kopassus members.<\/p>\n
\"I will call him (Prabowo) immediately to ask for his
\nclarification of the May 14 meeting to let the public know
\nwhether it had anything to do with the rioting or not,\" he told
\nthe House of Representatives Commission I for defense and
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
The commission urged him to summon Prabowo as soon as
\npossible. Legislators said the public was confused over
\nallegations that Prabowo was closely linked with the riots,
\ndespite the denials he sent through friends from Jordan, where he
\nis now staying.<\/p>\n
A joint fact-finding team was established by the government to
\ninvestigate the riots in which 1,200 were killed, many of them
\ntrapped in burning malls. The team has urged the government to
\nconduct further investigations into the riots, including the May
\n14 meeting.<\/p>\n
The government has acknowledged that dozens of women were also
\nsexually violated, but denied the team's conclusion that the
\nriots were organized.<\/p>\n
Noted businessman Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's younger
\nbrother, has insisted there was nothing secret about the meeting,
\nwhich was a \"very normal meeting among friends\".<\/p>\n
Gozali Abbas of the United Development Party (PPP) raised
\nquestions about Prabowo's whereabouts. \"We do not know whether he
\nhas escaped Indonesia. Many newspapers have reported he is in
\nGermany and many others reported he is in Jordan. Why does he
\nstay overseas while facing many problems at home?\"<\/p>\n
A presidential spokeswoman, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, had earlier
\nraised similar questions regarding Prabowo.<\/p>\n
The ABRI commander said Prabowo could be brought to trial for
\nhis involvement in the abduction of political activists.<\/p>\n
\"If the (ongoing) trial of 11 defendants proves that Prabowo
\nwas involved in the abduction, the latter will be brought to
\ncourt,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gozali has spoken of public amazement that the results of the
\nOfficers' Honor Council's inquiry into Prabowo's role in the
\nabduction case had been separated from the ongoing trial, which
\nWiranto denied.<\/p>\n
Prabowo was honorably discharged from military service after
\nadmitting to the Council to have ordered the abduction of nine of
\nthe 23 activists reported to have been kidnapped. The whereabouts
\nof the other activists is still unknown.<\/p>\n
Wiranto also said the Armed Forces had no intention of
\nintervening in the trial. Many have said the military trial is a
\nfarce as the prosecution does not implicate the soldiers'
\nsuperiors, despite Prabowo's earlier confession to the Council.<\/p>\n
Wiranto repeated his explanation of the concentration of
\ntroops around the President's residence and the State Palace last
\nMay.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie has said they were under the command of
\nPrabowo. He has not specified the purpose of the deployment but
\ntold a meeting of German and Asian editors that he had ordered
\nWiranto to disperse the troops.<\/p>\n
His spokeswoman, Dewi, refuted Prabowo's statement regarding
\nthe deployment of troops. Prabowo said he aimed to protect the
\nPresident under orders from the Armed Forces, while Dewi said
\nHabibie and his family had felt threatened.<\/p>\n
Wiranto told the House: \"There was no coup attempt at that time.\"<\/p>\n
Wiranto reiterated that there were many troops deployed at
\nthat time because of social instability in the capital. He said
\nthey were under the command of the city's military and police,
\nnot the Army's Strategic Reserves Command or its Special Forces.<\/p>\n
While there has been speculation over Habibie's remarks to the
\neditors' gathering, Wiranto insisted the statement was made to
\nshow that despite the unstable situation, ABRI was committed to
\nremaining loyal to the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
He added that he accompanied the President when he met the
\neditors. (rms)<\/p>",
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