Gus Dur criticizes House conclusion on shootings<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid shared the public's
\ndisappointment on Tuesday over the conclusions of the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) on the Trisakti and Semanggi fatal shooting
\nincidents in which 30 youths, mostly students, were killed.<\/p>\n
The House's conclusion that the incidents were merely an
\n"ordinary human rights violation" was a politically motivated
\nfinding, presidential chief spokesman Wimar Witoelar quoted the
\nPresident as saying.<\/p>\n
"The cases could not be described as pure crimes. It is proper
\nto suspect there is a political dimension behind the incidents,"
\nWimar quoted the President as saying during a media briefing at
\nBina Graha presidential office.<\/p>\n
The President also noted the incident at the House on Monday
\nwhere Sumarsih, mother of a victim of the first Semanggi killing
\nin 1998, threw eggs at the members of the special committee after
\nthe closing of the House's plenary session that heard the
\ncommittee's report.<\/p>\n
"The President is concerned with the result of the committee
\nof Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II and the throwing of eggs
\nby Ibu Sumarsih," the spokesman of the President said.<\/p>\n
Relatives of the victims, students and human rights activists,
\nwere outraged when the House failed on Monday to satisfy their
\ndemands to declare the three incidents gross human rights
\nviolations and to establish an ad hoc court to prosecute the
\nsuspects in the incidents.<\/p>\n
They also protested the committee's recommendation to try the
\ncivilian suspects at the district court, and military officer
\nsuspects at a military tribunal.<\/p>\n
In May 1998, riot police allegedly shot dead four Trisakti
\nstudents during a peaceful demonstration around the university
\ncompound. The killings triggered nationwide protests and forced
\npresident Soeharto to end his 32-year rule.<\/p>\n
Under then president B.J. Habibie's administration, security
\nmembers also killed 16 people at the Semanggi cloverleaf in
\nOctober 1998. One month before Abdurrahman's election as
\npresident in October 1999, 10 others were killed during a
\ndemonstration against Habibie.<\/p>\n
Habibie declared the four Trisakti students reform heroes but
\ndid little to find their killers. Former military chief Gen.
\n(ret.) Wiranto protested his innocence in the three tragedies.<\/p>\n
"Hopefully our struggles to defend human rights will not
\nperish (with the committee's finding)," Wimar quoted Abdurrahman
\nas saying.<\/p>\n
Separately, Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
\nViolence (Kontras) secretary Usman Hamid deplored the House's
\nconclusion and described it as a victory for the military and the
\npolice in covering up their past crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
Usman also said the House had betrayed the decree of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly that mandated the enforcement of
\nlaw and protection of human rights.<\/p>\n
"The DPR has become the political whipping boy of TNI and the
\npolice by completely ignoring people's demands for justice," said
\nUsman.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI)
\nchairman Hendardi, also blasted the conclusions on the three
\nfatal incidents.<\/p>\n
"They (the legislators) deserve to be called the preservers of
\nimpunity who perpetuate the policies of the New Order in
\nprotecting violators of the law," Hendardi said in a statement.
\n(prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-dur-criticizes-house-conclusion-on-shootings-1447893297",
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