ABRI denies involvement in activists' disappearance
ABRI denies involvement in activists' disappearance
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) headquarters yesterday
dismissed allegations that the military were behind the recent
disappearance of a number of activists.
ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan said the
allegations were groundless.
"How can people say that ABRI are behind the disappearances
when our personnel have painstakingly searched high and low for
the missing individuals?" he asked journalists.
Jakarta Regional Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin, also denied the allegations.
"I wonder if people have evidence to back up their
allegations," he separately told reporters after opening a one-
day campaign for blood donations at the Jakarta Regional Military
Command headquarters yesterday.
Wahab said the Armed Forces headquarters had instructed the
National Police to investigate the disappearances.
"We have checked with district military and police offices
around the country regarding the activists' whereabouts, but
without any success", he said.
The Foundation of the Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) launched a
protest regarding the missing activists on Monday.
"Any kind of abduction cannot be tolerated because it is
against the law," YLBHI said in a statement made available to The
Jakarta Post yesterday.
"Any relevant institutions, especially the National Police and
the Military Police Corps, should immediately begin investigating
the whereabouts of the missing activists," it said.
The statement was signed by YLBHI deputy chairman Munir and
the foundation's secretary Dadang Trisasongko.
The foundation believes the activists' disappearance is linked
to demonstrations by Siaga -- a loose association which supports
prominent government critics including Megawati Soekarnoputri and
Amien Rais. All the missing activists belong to the group.
The foundation lists 11 activists as missing. They include
Pius Lustrilanang, 29, the secretary of Siaga, and Desmond J.
Mahesa, a director of the Jakarta-based Nusantara Legal Aid
Foundation.
Pius, also secretary of the People's Democratic Alliance, was
reported missing on Feb. 4. Desmond was reported missing on Feb.
3, one day after he was visited by military intelligence agents,
according to his associates.
Also on the list are Andi Arief, Faisal Rezha, Rahardjo Waluyo
Djati, and Nezar Patria, all from Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta, Herman Hendrawan from Airlangga University in
Surabaya, and Mugianto and Aan Rusdianto, who are also university
students.
Haryanto Taslam, who was deputy secretary of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) under Megawati Soekarnoputri, was recently
added to the list. He was reported missing on March 9.
Megawati confirmed reports of Haryanto's disappearance on
Monday.
"I need a formal request from Haryanto's family before I can
formally request the police help find Haryanto," she told the
Post. (imn/09)