Rights body urged to investigate killing<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Rights activists yesterday urged the National
\nCommission on Human Rights to investigate last month's shooting
\nincident in West Kalimantan, during which one protester was
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
The activists, representing seven non-governmental
\norganizations, also asked commission members to visit those
\ninjured in the incident, which they said are still living in
\nfear.<\/p>\n
In addition, they called on the commission to investigate
\nalleged human rights abuses and sexual harassment by members of
\nthe Armed Forces (ABRI) in Ngabang district, West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim G. Nusantara, the executive director of ELSAM,
\ntold commission members that the errant soldiers should be
\nbrought to justice.<\/p>\n
\"One person was killed in the shooting spree, and there is
\nabundant evidence of breaches of the law that the court may use
\nin trying the suspects,\" Abdul Hakim said.<\/p>\n
The peace agreement signed on April 11 by local government
\nofficials, ABRI leaders and residents should not mean that the
\nerrant soldiers are exempted from legal action, he said.<\/p>\n
Deny Agus Dwianto of the Indonesian Democratic Movement said
\nthe residents, still traumatic from the tragedy, were forced to
\nsign the agreement.<\/p>\n
The Ngabang incident was sparked by the alleged abduction and
\ntorture of Jining, a local resident, on April 5 by 10 Armed
\nForces soldiers following a quarrel over a road accident.<\/p>\n
Two days later, over 2,000 residents rampaged the Tarik
\nNgabang military district headquarters after hearing rumors that
\nJining had died in the hands of his abductors.<\/p>\n
According to regional military chief Maj. Gen. Namoeri Anom,
\ntroops acted in self-defense after the mob attacked the
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
The activists claim that 15 demonstrators were injured as
\nsoldiers opened fire into the crowd. They identified the deceased
\nas Taku, 51.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim said that although some ABRI members had been
\ninvolved in a \"serious\" violation of human rights, there are no
\nindications that the Armed Forces leadership plans to punish the
\nculprits.<\/p>\n
Baharuddin Lopa, the commission's secretary-general, promised
\nto look into the activists' report and would determine what
\nactually happened.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the commission would proceed carefully in
\norder to avoid resurrecting old problems which were supposedly
\nreconciled when the conflicting parties signed the April 11 peace
\nagreement.<\/p>\n
The commission plans to meet with military officials in West
\nKalimantan to hear their version of the event.<\/p>\n
Deny said that the Ngabang soldiers had abused their power and
\nviolated one UN convention on codes of ethics for law enforcers
\nand one on the use of violence and firearms by law enforcers.(16)<\/p>",
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