No rights violation found in riot<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): National Commission on Human Rights members
\nannounced yesterday that no evidence of rights violations was
\nfound in the authority's handling of the recent riot in the West
\nJava town of Tasikmalaya.<\/p>\n
The commission also praised the military because not one shot
\nwas fired as troops struggled to contain the spreading unrest
\nthat broke out Thursday over alleged police mistreatment of
\nresidents. According to the official account yesterday, the
\nincident has left three people dead and scores of buildings
\ndamaged and burned.<\/p>\n
Commission members Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsuddin, Albert Hasibuan
\nand Charles Himawan met yesterday with the Siliwangi Military
\nCommander May. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi. Charles noted the security
\nofficers' smooth handling of the catastrophe, citing how the
\nforeign media tends to scrutinize violation of rights by the
\nauthorities but fails to notice how civilians are also potential
\nrights violators.<\/p>\n
The commission members are scheduled to inspect the riot's
\nsite today and release its report Thursday or Friday, after an
\ninternal plenary meeting.<\/p>\n
Also today, Tayo is to holding meetings with local religious
\nleaders and residents of Chinese descent that had been gravely
\naffected by the riot.<\/p>\n
The commander also noted that the official investigation has
\nconcluded that the riot did not occur spontaneously and had no
\ndirect links with the local Islamic pesantren (boarding schools).<\/p>\n
Earlier reports said that the riot broke out after thousands
\nof students of the pesantren protested alleged police abuse
\nagainst their teachers. Somewhere along the line, the gathering
\nin front of a police station turned into racialist and sectarian
\nviolence, as it was people of the Chinese descent and their
\nproperties that became the targets of the mass.<\/p>\n
"The riot was instigated by certain groups," Tayo said, but
\nrefused to specify.<\/p>\n
Antara reported Saturday that Tasikmalaya Regent Suljana WH
\nsaid the violence has left 13 places of worship, 89 shops, 12
\npolice stations, four factories, four schools, six banks and
\nthree hotels either damaged or burned.<\/p>\n
Suljana vowed that the administration would help rebuild the
\nchurches and places of worship.<\/p>\n
Informed sources said that the number of casualties rose to
\nfour on Saturday with the discovery of another body in a gutted
\nchurch.<\/p>\n
One of the three victims already identified was a woman of
\nChinese descent, Giok Ie Wie, 45, whose charred body was found in
\nthe rubble of her leather shop on Jalan H. Zaenal Mustofa.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that Sipek, a 45-year-old bakery owner, had a
\nheart attack when his store was attacked by a mob.<\/p>\n
A 25-year-old man, Ibing, died when he fell from a hijacked
\nminicab (public transportation minivan) being used by rioters.
\nAntara also said that 15 people were injured, eight of whom were
\nstill in Tasikmalaya's main hospital.<\/p>\n
Authorities in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya have
\nestimated that the riot has caused more than Rp 50 billion (US$21
\nmillion) in damages, Kompas daily said Sunday.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Herman Ibrahim, chief spokesman of the Siliwangi
\nMilitary Command, said that there are now two main culprits
\nsuspected to have instigated the riot.<\/p>\n
More recent data attained by The Jakarta Post recorded that
\n87 more suspects are to be questioned from the 186 initially
\ncaptured. 50 people are being held at the Tasikmalaya military
\ncommand, 21 at the Tasikmalaya police precinct and 16 at the
\nCiamis police precinct.<\/p>\n
"The rest would be released," Herman said.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Hasan Basri, the chairman of the Indonesian Council
\nof Ulemas, blamed the riot on a "formless organization" possibly
\nlinked to the long-banned Indonesian Communist Party.<\/p>\n
However, Abdurrachman Wahid, head of Indonesia's largest
\nIslamic group, the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), was
\nquoted by Kompas Sunday as saying he had not yet seen evidence of
\nthe rioting being "engineered" by certain groups.<\/p>\n
He also said that only three NU members were involved in the
\nriot, playing only minute roles, namely throwing stones.<\/p>\n
Abdurrachman said the incidence is a reflection of the decline
\nof public trust for the government. (21\/06)<\/p>",
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