ABRI dismisses findings' variance

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) yesterday dismissed the differences between the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights' investigation into the July 27 riot and that of the government as "natural".

ABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said the differences came about because each one approached the issue differently.

The commission had talked to and interviewed people and groups different from those approached by the government, he said.

The commission on Saturday published a provisional report of its findings, which said that five people were killed and 149 injured during the riots. It also said that 74 people continued to be missing since the riots.

The report did not explain the circumstances of the deaths, injuries or disappearances.

The government had earlier said four people were dead, but gave no figure for people reported missing.

Syarwan said that the number of people reported missing in the commission's report was not final. He suspected that these people went missing because they were terrified of the authorities.

"Being absent from home for days is not an extraordinary phenomenon here, is it?" he asked. "They are missing because they are scared of being regarded as suspects in the riots."

The riots broke out following the violent take-over of the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, by supporters of chairman Soerjadi. The premises had been occupied by supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was removed from the PDI leadership in a government-sanctioned congress in Medan in June.

The violence quickly spread to neighboring streets with people setting fire to office buildings and shops in the area.

Syarwan said people should not be too obsessed with the figures presented in the commission's report, a practice he described as a waste of time and energy. "Don't misinterpret the figures, especially on the number of missing persons," he said.

They should be more concerned about the follow-up to the investigation, he said.

Syarwan said the commission's finding would be considered as auxiliary inputs for the government in its own investigation.

"The commission's findings and the government's findings are complementary," he said.

Delays in announcing the results of the investigation prompted speculation earlier that the commission was under pressure to tone down the content of its report. Commission members however said there was no such pressure from the government or the military. (imn)