Government to study riot report<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government promised yesterday to study the
\nfindings of the National Commission on Human Rights's
\ninvestigation into the July 27 riots. Some of the revelations
\ndiffer markedly from the official account of the unrest.<\/p>\n
\"I will take the commission's report to the next coordinating
\nmeeting on political affairs and security,\" Coordinating Minister
\nfor Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman told
\nreporters after receiving nine of the commission's leaders in his
\noffice.<\/p>\n
\"I will also consult the President on these findings,\" Soesilo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In its report published Saturday, the commission criticized
\nthe government for meddling in the internal affairs of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI), and said this contributed to
\nthe unrest that left five people dead and 23 people missing.<\/p>\n
In one of the five corpses fragments of bullets were found,
\nthe commission said. This contrasts with the military's assertion
\nthat not a single bullet was fired in containing the unrest.<\/p>\n
The commission also said that members of the security
\napparatus were involved in the violent takeover of the PDI
\nheadquarters from supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, an
\nincident that later snowballed into a full-scale riot.<\/p>\n
Soesilo praised the commission's findings as \"seriously and
\ndiligently prepared.\"<\/p>\n
But whether the government will act on them depends on the
\nstudy, Soesilo said. \"We have no objections against the findings.
\nBut we need to verify them.\"<\/p>\n
The commission said there were some violations of people's
\nbasic rights during the incident, including the right to freedom
\nfrom fear, freedom of assembly and freedom from inhumane
\ntreatment.<\/p>\n
The commission urged the government to investigate all of the
\nriots' perpetrators, including the new PDI chairman Soerjadi, who
\nordered the headquarters' takeover.<\/p>\n
It also recommended that the government and other related
\nagencies help those whose property and businesses had suffered
\nduring the unrest.<\/p>\n
The government said four people were killed but says it has no
\nreport or evidence of any missing people.<\/p>\n
The government has blamed the riot on the Democratic People's
\nParty (PRD), an organization of mainly youth and student
\nactivists whom the Armed Forces likened to the outlawed
\nIndonesian Communist Party.<\/p>\n
Several PRD members, along with labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan,
\nare currently being interrogated by the Attorney General's Office
\nin connection with the riot. They have been charged with
\nsubversion.<\/p>\n
The commission report made no reference to any PRD role in the
\nriot.<\/p>\n
At a separate occasion, the Chief of the Jakarta Regional
\nMilitary Command, Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, insisted yesterday that no
\nrifles were fired by the military in handling the unrest.<\/p>\n
On the day of the riot, members of the security forces were
\nequipped with wooden or rattan batons, Sutiyoso was quoted by
\nAntara as saying.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after installing Brig. Gen. Yudomo as
\nthe new commander of the Jakarta Garrison, Sutiyoso said soldiers
\nwere only issued with rifles on Monday, when the military gave
\nthe order to shoot on sight in the event of any sign of trouble.<\/p>\n
Megawati, the ousted PDI chairperson who lost control of the
\nparty headquarters after the July 27 riot, welcomed the
\ncommission's report yesterday but said that it did not go far
\nenough.<\/p>\n
The commission should have given more details of the locations
\nwhere the victims were found, Megawati told reporters when she
\nattended the trial of some of her supporters charged with assault
\nduring the July 27 riot.<\/p>\n
The report should also have stated clearly the locations where
\nthe missing people were last seen, she said.<\/p>\n
Megawati said that the report should have described the type
\nof gun used that caused the bullet wound found in the dead
\nvictim. (imn\/16)<\/p>\n
Photo -- Page 2<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 4<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-to-study-riot-report-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }