12 high-ranking officers named as suspects

JAKARTA (JP): A National Military Police officer confirmed on Thursday that 12 high-ranking officers had been named as suspects in the July 27, 1996 violent takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters in Central Jakarta.

Col. Hendardji, Director of Investigation at the National Military Police headquarters (Puspom), said the suspects would be charged with Article 170 of the Criminal Code on uses of violence.

The Article carries two different maximum jail sentences to the violators: seven to nine years imprisonment if the violence causes the victim(s) to suffer severe injuries, and 12 years in jail if the victim(s) die.

Hendardji, also a member of a joint National Police-Military Police investigation team, however, refused to disclose the identities of the suspects nor their roles during the attack.

"If we disclose the suspects' identities to the press now, the public will tip them as guilty. Meanwhile, they have yet to be prosecuted," he told The Jakarta Post by phone on Thursday.

"It's not only the suspects, but also their families who will suffer if their identities are revealed," he said.

A list of military and police officers allegedly implicated in the July 1996 incident, however, shows that there are 22 suspects, instead of 12.

The list, which was made available to journalists on Thursday, also shows that the 22 suspects are part of a group of 58 security officers who have been questioned by the joint investigation team since June 2000.

Among the high-ranking police and military officers who were tipped as suspects in the list were: Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung, former chief of the former Armed Forces (ABRI); Gen. (ret) Dibyo Widodo, former chief of the National Police; Lt. Gen. (ret) Syarwan Hamid, former chief of ABRI Sociopolitical Affairs; Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, former chief of City Military command and incumbent Governor of Jakarta; Lt. Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former City Military command's chief of staff and incumbent Minister of Mines and Energy; Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim, former chief of ABRI's Intelligence Body (BIA) and Insp. Gen. Hamami Nata, former City Police chief.

Fourteen other security officers have yet to be declared as suspects, but their names were put under the "witness/suspect" column, meaning that there was strong indications that they would also be tipped as suspects.

The remaining 22 security officers were nominated as witnesses.

Hendardji insisted that the number of the suspects were only 12, not 22.

"Until today, there are 12 suspects in the list. However, it can increase along with the progress of the investigation," he said.

Hendardji admitted that the team had faced some scheduling problems with the investigation.

"Some of the officers have moved to new duty areas, such as Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara. Others had important jobs which they couldn't abandon," he said.

Hendardji vowed that the team would soon complete the questioning.

"We'll complete the questioning in early September," he said.

"The high-ranking officers to be questioned on Monday are Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim and Brig. Gen. Basir Badrawi, former adjutant of then National Police chief Gen. (ret) Dibyo Widodo," he said.

Separately, another team member, Sr. Supt. Makbul Padmanegara said the team had questioned 86 civilians about the case.

"Some 11 out of the 86 witnesses have been designated as suspects," Makbul, an officer at the National Police detectives unit, said on Thursday.

Civilians have been questioned by police investigators, while security officers were questioned by the team.

Separately, seven activists of the Communication Forum for Relatives of the Victims of the July 27, 19966 Incident staged a protest at the National Military Police Headquarters on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur on Thursday, demanding an honest and fair investigation into the 1996 incident.

Deputy National Military Police chief Brig. Gen. Ruchjan told the visiting delegation that the team would soon complete the investigation.

On that fateful day, a group of supporters of PDI's splinter faction, backed by elements of ABRI, raided and took over the party headquarters from the loyalists of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The party headquarters' takeover triggered unrest throughout Central Jakarta on the same day, resulting in the deaths of at least five people. Twenty-three people are still missing. (asa/07)