Response to TGPF report vital to recover confidence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Human rights activists and the international
\ncommunity are warning that the government's response to a joint
\nfact-finding team's report on the May riots will make or break
\nits quest to restore confidence.<\/p>\n
Known as TGPF, the team released on Tuesday its report, which
\nincluded a finding implicating members and elements of the Armed
\nForces in the riots.<\/p>\n
Ita F. Nadia of the Volunteers for Humanity appreciated the
\nteam's efforts and judged the results the best that could be
\nexpected given its limitations. \"The important thing is how the
\ngovernment responds to the recommendations.\"<\/p>\n
One of eight recommendations on further investigation into who
\nwas behind the violence \"(will stand) as the government's
\naccountability to the public, given its failure to guarantee
\npublic safety\".<\/p>\n
She believed it was the only way to restore both domestic and
\ninternational public confidence. \"Failure to do so would end in
\nmore widespread distrust toward the government,\" she told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Ita added that victims' families were counting on enforcement
\nof the recommendation for protection of witnesses and victims who
\nstill felt unsafe.<\/p>\n
Volunteers for Humanity, which provides outreach and
\ncounseling to riot victims, was the first organization to reveal
\nthat gang rapes occurred during the riots. Volunteers put the
\nnumber of rapes at 168 as of July, while the report listed 66
\nduring the May riots. Ita said Volunteers attributed the
\ndiscrepancy also to the difference in verifying the assaults.<\/p>\n
Munir, coordinator of the independent Commission for Missing
\nPersons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the report would
\nsupplement reports of other fact-finding teams, but doubted there
\nwould be additional efforts from the authorities to solve the
\nrape cases. The government, he added, \"doesn't seem to be
\nresponding seriously to the report\".<\/p>\n
He believed those responsible should be tried, and advocated
\nthat the government establish therapy programs for riot victims
\nand the political activists who were abducted earlier this year
\nbut subsequently freed.<\/p>\n
Response<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the United States and the People's Republic of
\nChina responded to the report by urging the Indonesian government
\nto carry through with its recommendations.<\/p>\n
Both were among the countries in which protests were staged
\nfollowing the riots. The Indonesian government was accused of
\ninaction against racial violence.<\/p>\n
AFP quoted U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin as
\npraising TGPF for its \"credible, balanced report under the
\ndifficult circumstances\" which included \"anonymous death threats\"
\nagainst members.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Rubin said it was \"crucial in order to restore
\ncredibility and confidence that the ... government implement the
\nteam's recommendations, including further investigation of
\nmilitary leaders and others alleged to be involved in fomenting
\nor participating in the violence\".<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government was \"strongly urged\" to \"take steps
\nto prevent intimidation and threats of violence against
\ninvestigators, witnesses and their families\".<\/p>\n
Rubin said the U.S. government found the \"85 acts of violence
\n(documented in the report) targeted against women, including
\nrapes, torture, sexual assaults and sexual harassment,
\nreprehensible and unacceptable\".<\/p>\n
He added: \"Those responsible for all these acts should be held
\naccountable.\"<\/p>\n
\"We are of the view that the Indonesian government has the
\nresponsibility to thoroughly investigate and handle the relevant
\nissues and prevent similar accidents from happening again,\"
\nChinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzhao was quoted as
\nsaying by the wire service at a biweekly news conference in
\nBeijing.<\/p>\n
Zhu said China as a friendly neighbor hoped Indonesia \"can
\nmaintain social stability and that Indonesian people of all
\nethnic groups including Chinese can enjoy equal rights and live
\nin harmony\".<\/p>\n
The team's recommendations also included the need to further
\nprobe the details of a meeting on May 14 at the Army's Strategic
\nReserve Command (Kostrad) headquarters, as well as the possible
\nrole of then Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto in the
\nriots.<\/p>\n
Prabowo's younger brother, businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo,
\ncharacterized the early evening Kostrad gathering of 25 people as
\na \"very normal meeting\". He said on Wednesday it was held at the
\ninitiative of human rights advocate and lawyer Adnan Buyung
\nNasution. Prabowo was discharged from the military in August for
\ninvolvement in the abductions of activists.<\/p>\n
A source told the Post recently that earlier in the afternoon
\nof May 14, Prabowo failed to meet with Achmad Tirtosudiro, leader
\nof the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), at
\nICMI's Central Jakarta office, who he thought might be able to
\nissue a pacifying statement to the people.<\/p>\n
The reports said the then Jakarta Military commander, Maj.
\nGen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, should also be held responsible for the
\nlax security in the capital during the riots which killed more
\nthan 1,000 people. (anr\/01\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/response-to-tgpf-report-vital-to-recover-confidence-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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