A military wish: Yoris' lawyer

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers of Yoris Raweyai, deputy chairman of the Pemuda Pancasila youth organization who has been arrested for his alleged role in the forcible takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in 1996, claim their client deployed 100 organization members on that day at the request of officers at the Jakarta Military Command (Kodam Jaya).

"Some officers of the Jakarta Military Command requested Yoris send out his men on July 27, 1996 to secure SMP 8 and SMP 9 junior high schools, the residence of (former minister of women's affairs) Mien Sugandhi and the Palestinian Embassy," lawyer Sophar Maru Hutagalung said at the National Police Detectives Department building.

"These places were all on Jl. Diponegoro, very near to the PDI office."

Sophar arrived at the National Police Detectives Department on Wednesday with colleague Donny Antares Irawan to submit a proposal for the release of Yoris, who was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged role in the violence which followed the PDI headquarters takeover in 1996.

Donny added that the men who had been sent out to "secure the area" were all members of Pemuda Pancasila.

"They were less than 100, and that was upon the request of the Jakarta Military Command," Donny said.

Upon questioning, at least 13 witness told the police that Yoris was involved in the violence.

PDI supporters, who were loyal to the party's splinter group's chairman Soerjadi, took over the party's headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta on July 27, 1996. At the time, the office was occupied by supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, whom Soerjadi ousted as party chairwoman in a government-backed party congress in June 1996.

Many believe elements of the former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) were involved in the attack. (ylt)