Govt must reopen investigation into July 27 riot<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Leading rights campaigner Marzuki Darusman
\nrenewed calls yesterday for the government to reopen the
\ninvestigation into the July 27, 1996 attack on the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) headquarters which led to five deaths and
\nthe disappearance of many other people.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, who is deputy chairman of the respected National
\nCommission on Human Rights, told the media yesterday that the
\ncase should be settled once and for all to bring speculation to
\nan end.<\/p>\n
He described how every time there was talk about the bloody
\nincident, the rights body was urged to press the government to
\nreinvestigate the incident. The most recent call was made by
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted chairwoman of the PDI whose
\nsupporters had the headquarters wrested from their hands by a
\nrival faction in the party.<\/p>\n
\"The case should be settled to end speculation,\" Marzuki said
\ncommenting on Megawati's call.<\/p>\n
During a rally to mark the second anniversary of the incident
\nheld at her home in South Jakarta on Monday, Megawati called on
\nthe government to follow up on the rights body's recommendation
\nand begin to search for those still missing after the incident.<\/p>\n
Megawati was ousted from the PDI leadership by Soerjadi in a
\ngovernment-backed congress in Medan in June 1996.<\/p>\n
Then on July 27, 1996, her supporters were forced out of the
\nPDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta. The incident
\nsparked a major riot in surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Many believe the government under former president Soeharto
\nengineered the takeover of the headquarters because it resented
\nMegawati's increasing influence.<\/p>\n
The rights body said at least five people were killed in the
\nincident and 23 others are still classified as missing. It also
\nlinked the government and the military with the incident.<\/p>\n
\"The government and the security apparatus involved themselves
\nexcessively and failed to act impartially in their role
\noverseeing political and security affairs,\" it said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said the public still viewed the case as unsettled.<\/p>\n
\"To settle the problem by simply saying there are now two PDIs
\nor that (the two conflicting factions) should reconcile is not a
\nfair or realistic solution,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said the new government under President B.J. Habibie
\nshould not consider the PDI to have returned to \"normal\".<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, when asked about the
\nprotracted conflict recently, said there could now be two PDIs
\nunder the respective leaderships of Megawati and Soerjadi.<\/p>\n
Syarwan, who was Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of sociopolitical
\naffairs when the bloody takeover took place, maintained on Monday
\nthat the affair was an \"internal matter\" between Soerjadi and
\nMegawati.<\/p>\n
However Soerjadi said yesterday that the government must be
\nheld responsible for the incident.<\/p>\n
\"You know the security personnel were at the scene (during the
\ntakeover). The existence of the PDI, Golkar and the United
\nDevelopment Party cannot be separated from the government's
\nintervention,\" Soerjadi was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Regarding denial of involvement from Syarwan and Coordinating
\nMinister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung, who
\nwas ABRI commander at the time, Soerjadi said: \"It was only what
\nthey said.\"<\/p>\n
Former minister of home affairs Yogie S. Memed also denied any
\ninvolvement in the removal of Megawati yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"It was not me who was fighting, the fighting was between
\nthem,\" Yogie, who is now a member of the Supreme Advisory
\nCouncil, said.<\/p>\n
Soerjadi reminded the government that it was still the main
\npatron of the political parties.<\/p>\n
\"There must be some part of the government that can be held
\nresponsible for the PDI problem,\" Soerjadi said.<\/p>\n
Soerjadi also said the PDI congress was scheduled to begin on
\nAugust 25 in Sulawesi. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-must-reopen-investigation-into-july-27-riot-1447893297",
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