Find evidence in Priok case: Judges<\/p>\n
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The court trying a shooting incident that occurred 20 years ago
\nordered the prosecutor's office to continue looking for several
\nitems of military equipment that witnesses had said was missing.<\/p>\n
At least 33 civilians were killed in September 1984 when
\ntroops opened fire into a crowd of protesters in Tanjung Priok,
\nNorth Jakarta. The incident has been among a number of unresolved
\nhuman rights violations that the public has demanded be reopened.<\/p>\n
On trial at the ad hoc human rights court are Col. Sutrisno
\nMascung, now commander of the elite special forces, and 10 of his
\nmen. They were members of the third platoon of the air defense
\nartillery battalion deployed on the night of Sept. 12, 1984, to
\nreinforce the North Jakarta Military District against a crowd of
\nMuslim demonstrators.<\/p>\n
From Monday's testimonies of witnesses Maj. Gen. (ret) Rudolph
\nButar-Butar and Lt. Col. Bambang Suartono, the whereabouts of the
\nequipment is still unclear. The equipment comprises 13 Russian-
\nmade SKS rifles, some bullets and a military truck.<\/p>\n
\"We want to ensure that there has been no deliberate
\ndestruction or elimination whatsoever of the equipment,\" said
\npresiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro.<\/p>\n
Butar-Butar was commander of the North Jakarta Military
\nDistrict at the time of the incident. He said if the equipment
\nhad indeed been withdrawn for replacement, it would probably be
\nstored at the military's central equipment depot.<\/p>\n
Lt.Col. Bambang, commander of the air defense artillery
\nbattalion from June 2000 to December 2001, said he had carried
\nout a search for the equipment, but in vain. He said this was in
\nresponse to a letter from the Attorney General's Office of Sept.
\n13, 2001, requesting the equipment as evidence in the case.<\/p>\n
He said the equipment had apparently been withdrawn for
\nreplacement since 1991, according to a decree signed by the
\nbattalion's commander at the time, Lt. Col. Taat Tri Januar.<\/p>\n
Without the equipment as evidence, and relying solely on
\ndocuments and testimonies, the prosecutors' office will likely
\nface difficulty in pursuing its charges against the defendants.<\/p>\n
The court also requested the prosecutor's office to prepare a
\nsummons for former vice president Try Sutrisno, who was Jakarta
\nmilitary commander in 1984. He will be asked to testify to
\nexplain the issue of compensation to victims as part of an
\nagreement on islah (Islamic reconciliation agreement).<\/p>\n
The summons, however, will not occur until Mar. 1, the
\nschedule of the next hearing, as several judges will be off duty
\non their haj pilgrimage.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/find-evidence-in-priok-case-judges-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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