Kontras aims to end climate of fear<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): First there was the case of missing activists.
\nThen came revelations of torture and executions in Aceh and Irian
\nJaya, some of them committed many years ago.<\/p>\n
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
\n(Kontras) has been kept on its toes. More and more people managed
\nto conquer their fears and speak out about atrocities and about
\nmissing their loved ones.<\/p>\n
The Kontras office, at the back of the Jakarta Legal Aid
\nInstitute, has become too small, not only for the amount of work
\nit has to handle, but because of the political significance of
\nits work. Kontras was set up in May this year following reports
\nof violence and missing activists in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Meet the coordinator, a small-built, 32-year-old lawyer with
\nreddish hair who is simply called Munir. Married to a labor
\nactivist, Suciwati, and expecting their firstborn, he is a
\ngraduate of Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java.<\/p>\n
Munir has said he may establish a business in his hometown of
\nMalang one day, in line with the customary activities of his
\nfamily of Arabic descent. But for now, there's a load of tasks at
\nhand. The following are excerpts of an interview with The Jakarta
\nPost:<\/p>\n
Question: How do you see the abductions conducted by the Armed
\nForces?<\/p>\n
Answer: Kidnapping has been an established method since the
\n1960s. But those who carried out the abductions did not expect
\npublic disclosure. In the past, victims of abductions never told
\na soul after their release because the threats frightened them.<\/p>\n
Q: How do they choose the victims?<\/p>\n
A: In 1996, they targeted supporters of Megawati (Soekarnoputri).
\nSixteen people went missing following the 27 July incident
\n(violent takeover of the PDI headquarters). Their whereabouts are
\nstill not clear to this day.<\/p>\n
Then student activists of PRD (Democratic People's Party),
\nwere abducted, as indicated by the recent account of Hendrik
\nSirait (a former missing PRD activist).<\/p>\n
These cases never reached the courts. People were released on
\nthe assumption that they would not talk.<\/p>\n
In the 1970s, they targeted labor party leaders.<\/p>\n
So kidnapping depended on the political agenda.<\/p>\n
In the wake of the 1997 elections, kidnapping was done at
\nrandom; targets were low-level supporters of political parties
\nsuch as Sonny and Yani Afri (who are still missing); at most they
\nwere only supporters or bystanders of the Mega-Bintang rallies.
\nThe abductors wanted to know who were behind these rallies.<\/p>\n
Nearing the People's Consultative Assembly meeting in March,
\nactivists like Pius Lustrilanang, Desmond J. Mahesa and Andi
\nArief disappeared. The government feared that their activities
\ncould disrupt the process of the presidential election.<\/p>\n
This reflected an extraordinary paranoia about power.<\/p>\n
They selected activists, including (PDI executive of the
\nMegawati camp) Haryanto Taslam, because they were considered
\nmediators between politicians and other activists or supporters.<\/p>\n
Without the recent exposure, it is possible that the
\nabductions would have continued and netted other activists,
\nincluding Ratna Sarumpaet (playwright and founder of Siaga,
\nSolidaritas Amien-Mega, a coalition of supporters for leading
\npoliticians Amien Rais and Megawati).<\/p>\n
Q: Former missing activist Mugiyanto recently went to the
\nPhilippines to represent Kontras in a meeting on disappearances
\nin Asia. What was the result?<\/p>\n
A: It was in preparation for the UN Human Rights Commission
\nmeeting (this month) in Geneva. Representatives also came from
\nIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar, China and
\nother countries. We were the youngest as we've never had a body
\nworking on disappearances. We learned that almost all
\ndisappearances were linked to the state, they were all military
\nrepression, and victims were people critical of their government.<\/p>\n
But the impression that other countries had higher figures may
\nbe misleading because we have no reliable record. We have had no
\nmechanism for such reporting; people have not reported; and to
\nknow someone who is missing has become normal. Even parents
\naccepted the lost of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
I'm convinced that Jakarta alone has a high number.<\/p>\n
Following the July 27, 1996 riots, dozens of people went
\nmissing. Their relatives were too afraid to report. We have had
\npeople who came as far as our door only to turn back. A woman
\nfrom Tanjung Priok came to report that her son had been missing
\nfor many years. I asked, \"Why haven't you reported this to the
\npolice?\" She said: \"If I did, I would be missing too.\" Imagine,
\nshe was scared of even the local police.<\/p>\n
In Banjarmasin, 123 people were said to have been burned to
\ndeath during the May 1997 riot. Many families did not report
\ntheir relatives as missing, they just gave up looking for them.<\/p>\n
People did try to set up bodies for missing persons in the
\npast. For instance, H.R. Dharsono (a dissident leader) tried to
\nstart documentation following the 1984 Tanjung Priok riot but he
\nended up in jail. So there has been almost no space for such
\nefforts.<\/p>\n
Q: What kind of terror have you and your family faced?<\/p>\n
A: We've experienced things like people peeping in, breaking our
\nwindow (at home in Jatinegara, East Jakarta); a woman came up to
\nmy wife and told her she was my girlfriend -- we feel that was
\npart of a terror campaign; one night in March at 3 a.m. we were
\ntold that there were people who were going to take me, but my
\nwife and I were out of the house.<\/p>\n
But since Kontras' mission is to encourage people to be more
\ncourageous, we cannot achieve this if we fuss over our own
\nsafety. We encourage people to rationalize their fears.
\nEliminating public fear is Kontras' goal. As a result, almost
\nevery day we get people reporting violence or missing persons.
\nThat in itself is a step forward. Most people are still afraid,
\nlike the families of (missing teacher and student) M. Yusuf and
\nSuyat. We were only able to reach the family of (formerly
\nabducted PRD activist) Faisol Reza after lobbying his friends.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you optimistic that after this is over, there will not be
\nany more abduction and torture?<\/p>\n
A: We feel Kontras has a long way to go. The revelation of these
\nrecent cases is only a very small step in correcting past errors.
\nViolence will continue given... the confidence of those in power
\nand the attitude that it is acceptable for people to go missing.<\/p>\n
Even in the current investigation into abductions and torture,
\nthe military is trying to put the blame on individual members for
\nmaking procedural errors.<\/p>\n
In my meeting with (Minister of Defense and Security\/ABRI
\nCommander) Gen. Wiranto, he could not give us a straight answer
\nwhen we asked about ABRI's commitment that there would no longer
\nbe violence against civilians.<\/p>\n
Q: How soon do you expect to find out about the fate of those
\npeople who are still missing?<\/p>\n
A: We will keep the issue alive, but it could take a few more
\nmonths. Their families are demanding clarification. When
\nPresident B.J. Habibie asked the public to give ABRI time to
\nconsolidate, we stated that this should not lead to ABRI's
\nneglect of the abduction cases.<\/p>\n
We have reminded the Officers Honor Council (among others)
\nthat the council is for ABRI's internal purposes, it does not
\nanswer society's need for justice.<\/p>\n
Q: How is Kontras funded?<\/p>\n
A: Twelve NGOs and two student organizations just pool whatever
\nthey have. We receive donations, including from victims'
\nfamilies, from a few thousands to a few million rupiah. We've
\ndecided not to ask for foreign donations because we want to
\ninvolve the Indonesian public in sharing attention to address the
\nproblem of human rights. The outcome has been astonishing.<\/p>\n
People send in coffee, and every day we get fed nasi bungkus
\n(packaged rice meals). This is what is important, groups (like
\nKontras) must help to develop public awareness. We cannot fund
\nregional branches, we only help them work out their concepts and
\ncampaigns.<\/p>\n
Q: How does Kontras work?<\/p>\n
A: We have 14 staffers and dozens of volunteers including 30
\nlawyers. We work through six divisions: advocacy, legal
\ncounseling, rehabilitation counseling for victims and families,
\nresearch, documentation and field investigation. Kontras was set
\nup as a semipermanent body which would not set up branches. And
\nit was aimed at handling victims of violence and missing persons
\nonly in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
But public demand has led to the setting up of branches in
\nAceh, Lampung, Manado. The most recent one in West Java is
\nhandling cases of five Garut students abducted in 1995 (on
\ncharges of setting up a Moslem state); East Timor is ready too.
\nWe have 19 advisors coordinated by (NGO consultant) M.M. Billah
\nand (criminologist) Mulyana W. Kusumah. The research division is
\nnow studying the history of violence and abductions committed
\nduring the New Order regime. Now our task is no longer simple,
\nand we admit it is getting beyond the organization's capacity.
\n(anr)<\/p>",
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