Prabowo, Muchdi 'responsible for kidnappings'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The chief of the Officers Honor Council, Gen.
\nSubagyo Hadisiswoyo, revealed yesterday that Lt. Gen. Prabowo
\nSubianto and Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono either gave the
\ninstructions for abductions of political activists in the past
\nyear or were aware of their issuance.<\/p>\n
Subagyo, who is also Army Chief of Staff, said testimony from
\nother officers before the council showed the two former chiefs of
\nthe Army's Special Force (Kopassus) were responsible for the
\nabductions.<\/p>\n
"The testimony of the other officers showed Prabowo gave the
\ninstructions. He, therefore, must be held responsible," he said.<\/p>\n
When pressed by reporters whether higher ranked Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) officers had also been aware of the kidnappings, Subagyo
\nsaid: "Just wait until Prabowo testifies Monday."<\/p>\n
He explained several categories of mistakes an official might
\nhave committed in the abductions. "(The kidnappings) could be a
\nprocedural mistake, a mistake on the part of the leader (of an
\nunit) or (they could have been committed because of) the
\ncharacter of the highest military official who gave the
\ninstruction.<\/p>\n
"In this case, Chairawan and the other officers, who are lower
\nin rank, were only carrying out the instructions of their
\ncommanders."<\/p>\n
Col. Chairawan was a former chief of Kopassus' intelligence
\noperations. He is the third highest ranked Kopassus officer,
\nafter Prabowo and Muchdi, under the investigation of the ABRI-
\ninitiated honor council. Ten other Kopassus soldiers will soon be
\ncourt-martialled for the abductions.<\/p>\n
On Muchdi's role in the kidnappings, Subagyo said the officer
\nmust have fully understood his authority and duties as a Kopassus
\ncommandant-general.<\/p>\n
"He was the Kopassus commander. Surely he knew what he must or
\nmust not do."<\/p>\n
The council started the investigation into the kidnappings
\nTuesday, a day after its establishment was announced by Armed
\nForces chief Gen. Wiranto. Chairawan and Muchdi had both been
\nquestioned, while Prabowo has so far appeared before the council
\nas a witness.<\/p>\n
Subagyo said, for the sake of obtaining accurate information
\nabout the kidnappings, the council would also hear from the Armed
\nForces fact-finding team and other teams established by various
\nrights groups.<\/p>\n
The council inspected on Wednesday several locations, believed
\nto be the sites where the abductees were once held, at the
\nKopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Guilty<\/p>\n
Subagyo made clear yesterday the council was not responsible
\nfor determining the officers' guilt, which was the authority of a
\nmilitary tribunal.<\/p>\n
The council will submit the results of its investigation,
\nalong with recommendation for further action, to the Armed Forces
\ncommander.<\/p>\n
He also called on the public to trust that the council would
\nbe independent in its investigation of the abductions.<\/p>\n
"Insya Allah (God willing), the council will be objective in
\nhandling the case and issuing its recommendations," he said.<\/p>\n
He promised that although the investigation was conducted in
\nclosed chambers, the council would not withhold information to
\nthe public when its findings were completed.<\/p>\n
"The council is doing its best to provide the Armed Forces
\nchief with accurate recommendations, so that he will make correct
\ndecision over the case," he said.<\/p>\n
He also said the council followed the "rules of the game"
\nwhile conducting the investigation, including meeting the
\nofficers' rights to present their own witnesses and to be
\nassisted by an associate in the questioning.<\/p>\n
He dismissed speculation the council also investigated a
\nrumored coup attempt waged by the Kopassus troops the night after
\npresident Soeharto announced his resignation on May 21.<\/p>\n
"No, it (the reported coup attempt) was not true. And the
\ncouncil does not focus its investigation on rumors. We are only
\nprobing the case of missing activists," he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking as a former Kopassus chief, Subagyo said he regretted
\nthat the case had ruined the image of the Army's elite force.<\/p>\n
"I love Kopassus but I am really concerned that several
\nKopassus officers had to be put under the honor council's
\ninvestigation and others tried by the military tribunal," he
\nsaid. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prabowo-muchdi-responsible-for-kidnappings-1447893297",
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