Trisakti tragedy remains a mystery<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The mystery behind the Trisakti University
\nshootings which killed four students remains no closer to being
\nunraveled today as it did two years ago.<\/p>\n
Speaking before a House special committee on Tuesday, military
\nand police officers who held top posts during the May 12, 1998,
\nincident maintained that they were unaware of which personnel
\nopened fire on the student rally.<\/p>\n
Giving their testimony to the special committee were former
\nJakarta Military chief Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Syamsuddin, former City
\nPolice chief Insp. Gen. Hamami Nata, former chief of the West
\nJakarta Military subdistrict Col. Amril, former West Jakarta
\nPolice precinct chief Snr. Comm. Timur Pradopo, and former chief
\nof the Jakarta Military Police Col. Hendardji.<\/p>\n
Safrie and Hamami maintained that neither issued such orders
\nto their personnel who were assigned to security operations in
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"In my capacity as chief of the military operation to maintain
\nsecurity and order in the city, I instructed my subordinates to
\nuse a persuasive approach to prevent students from staging
\ndemonstrations outside their campus,\" Sjafrie said.<\/p>\n
He said around 500 troops from the City Military had been
\ndeployed to West Jakarta, but they were all equipped with rubber
\nbullets.<\/p>\n
\"I only received a report that the shooting occurred at around
\n5 p.m. I then held a meeting with my subordinates to discuss the
\nincident,\" he said, adding that former Indonesian Military Chief
\nGen. Wiranto had also ordered an investigation into the incident
\nwhich produced minimal results.<\/p>\n
Sjafrie stressed that he should not be held accountable for
\nthe shooting as field security operations were directly under the
\ncommand of the City Police.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Hamami recounted that only two groups of security
\npersonnel from the Mobile Brigade were deployed to handle the
\ndemonstration at the Trisakti campus.<\/p>\n
\"Police personnel were each armed with 12 rubber bullets...I
\nwas shocked upon receiving reports that four students were shot
\ndead in the incident,\" Hamami said.<\/p>\n
\"After we checked the field, the four students were shot dead
\nusing live ammunition but we didn't know who opened fire,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also argued that the police could not be held responsible
\nsince \"besides police personnel, a great number of troops from
\nnumerous units in TNI were also deployed to help the police
\nhandle the escalating situation.\"<\/p>\n
However Col. Arthur Damanik, a senior police officer in the
\nsecurity operation, told the special committee that Sjafrie
\nshould be held responsible as the incident occurred during an
\noperation which was under his command.<\/p>\n
\"Sjafrie who commanded the joint operation to maintain
\nsecurity and order in the city should be held responsible for the
\ntragedy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Arthur maintained that he himself was inside the campus
\naccompanying former City Police chief Brig. Gen. Gunawan at the
\ntime of the shooting.<\/p>\n
\"I ordered security personnel to stop firing inside the campus
\nafter learning that several students were injured,\" he said,
\nwhile adding that he has since suffered tremendous psychological
\nduress due to accusations of his involvement in the tragedy.<\/p>\n
Several student witnesses however have expressed doubt on the
\naccounts given to the special committee.<\/p>\n
Panda Nababan, chairman of the special committee, declined to
\ncomment on the proceedings, saying only that \"there must be
\nofficials who should be held responsible but we have yet to make
\na conclusion to the investigation.\"<\/p>\n
So far the only legal measures taken on the shooting are six
\nlow-ranking police personnel who have been convicted by a
\ntribunal for violating official procedures in the incident. They
\nwere sentenced to between three to six months in jail. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trisakti-tragedy-remains-a-mystery-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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