Military personnel may be involved in killings: NU<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Military personnel and a government official may
\nhave been involved in a mysterious murder spree of more than 100
\npeople in East Java, according to Antara on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The news agency quoted the leader of the provincial chapter of
\nthe Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, Hasyim Muzadi, as
\nsaying that two members of the Armed Forces and a village chief
\nwere suspects in the killings, which seemingly targeted Islamic
\nteachers and alleged practitioners of \"black magic\".<\/p>\n
\"(The alleged involvement of) a village official was reported
\nby NU's investigation team, while the alleged involvement of the
\ntwo military personnel was explained by Brawijaya Regional
\nMilitary Chief (Maj. Gen. Djoko Subroto) on Saturday,\" Hasyim
\ntold about 100 NU executives in the provincial capital of
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
Hasyim, however, said it was still unclear which military
\nunits the suspects were from.<\/p>\n
He also said he still could not convey further details about
\nthe alleged involvement of the village official.<\/p>\n
\"We still do not have a complete report. The (NU) team only
\nreported that the attacks on the Banyuwangi Police Precinct
\ndemanding the release of the suspected killers (last week) was
\ninstructed by a village chief but it is still not clear from
\nwhich village,\" Hasyim said.<\/p>\n
NU has invited the regional military and police chiefs to
\nexplain the matter to them on Oct. 14, he said.<\/p>\n
Suara Pembaruan evening daily, however, reported the East Java
\nPolice as saying on Wednesday that three people from a
\nsubdistrict military office, a subdistrict military police
\nofficer and an official from the district office of religious
\naffairs were all suspected of being involved in the killing
\nspree.<\/p>\n
Suspects<\/p>\n
The police identified the five after questioning up to 65
\nsuspects on Tuesday. As of Wednesday, a further 72 people were in
\npolice custody for questioning, the report said.<\/p>\n
It added that among the 72 in custody, 11 were suspected of
\nplotting the murders, six of financing them and the remaining 55
\nof carrying out the actual killings.<\/p>\n
Also on Wednesday, Antara quoted National Police Chief Lt.
\nGen. Roesmanhadi as saying that the police had discovered that
\none of the suspects had links to the outlawed Indonesian
\nCommunist Party (PKI).<\/p>\n
\"We have found out that one of those arrested is linked to the
\nPKI. According to our preliminary findings, the link was one of
\nhis relatives,\" Roesmanhadi said during a break of a meeting with
\nthe House of Representatives Commission I on security and
\ndefense.<\/p>\n
Roesmanhadi said the killings showed a pattern similar to that
\nwhich followed the failed Sept. 30, 1965 communist coup.<\/p>\n
\"Regions like south Malang and south Banyuwangi used to be PKI
\nbases,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the spread of the killings to other areas,
\nRoesmanhadi said: \"The police and the military did not have
\nenough personnel to safeguard all villages.\" (nur\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-personnel-may-be-involved-in-killings-nu-1447893297",
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