ABRI may set up honorary council over abductions

ABRI may set up honorary council over abductions

JAKARTA (JP): Amid growing pressure for transparency in the
investigation into the abductions of political activists, the
Armed Forces (ABRI) confirmed yesterday it is considering
establishing an honorary council to try all parties charged with
the kidnappings.

Also yesterday, the ABRI fact-finding team confirmed that at
least 10 members of the Army's special force (Kopassus) were
involved in the abductions.

"The plan to establish the military honorary council is now
being discussed at the Armed Forces Headquarters by the General
Staff," ABRI spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif told reporters
at his office yesterday.

The decision to establish the council would eventually be made
by Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen.
Wiranto. He is expected to announce the results of the
discussions soon.

"Just wait for the results. I'll tell you about them," Wiranto
said yesterday.

Several names have been mentioned as possible members of the
council, should one be established. These include ABRI chief of
General Affairs Lt. Gen. Fachrul Razi, ABRI chief of
Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Lt. Gen.
Agum Gumelar.

Regarding the investigation into the abductions and torture of
political activists, Syamsul said the suspects would soon be
brought before a military tribunal.

"The dossiers are currently being completed," he said.

The head of the fact-finding team, Maj. Gen. Syamsu Djalal,
confirmed yesterday that three more Kopassus members had been
added to the list of suspects.

"Yes, 10 Kopassus members are suspects in the case of the
missing activists," Syamsu, also chief of the National Military
Police Corps, told reporters.

He, however, refused to mention their names or their ranks,
citing the principle of presumption of innocence.

Earlier last week, Syamsu confirmed that five Kopassus members
had been detained and two others were under intensive
interrogation for their alleged involvement in the kidnappings.

Antara has reported that the seven were a general, two
colonels, a major, a captain and two privates.

Syamsul Ma'arif said Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, the former
Kopassus commandant-general who is currently commander of the
ABRI Staff and Command School, "has not yet been questioned."

Agum said Sunday the council could reveal the truth
surrounding the abductions of the activists.

"I think the abductions of the activists must be thoroughly
probed. And the honorary military council is expected to reveal
whoever was involved in and behind the abductions of the
activists," Agum, another former Kopassus chief, told reporters
in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi.

"Incomplete investigations into the abductions of activists
could ruin the image of Kopassus as the government's elite
force," he said.

He called on the public to trust Wiranto, saying the Armed
Forces Headquarters would be consistent in investigating the case
of the missing activists. He also warned against placing the
blame on Kopassus as an institution.

"If the prosecution finds that Kopassus members were involved,
people should not blame the institution, because those members
would have been acting on their own," he said.

The independent Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
Violence (Kontras), however, quickly dismissed the prospect that
the planned honorary council would be able to reveal any
involvement of high-ranking ABRI officers in the kidnappings.

"It is clear that (seeking) a solution through that procedure
will not unveil the 'facts' surrounding the abductions," Kontras
said in a statement, signed by its coordinator Munir, yesterday.

The statement charged that the council would only impose
disciplinary measures on the alleged perpetrators rather than
slapping severe punishments on them.

It cited how a similar council imposed only disciplinary
measures on a number of senior officers in the aftermath of the
Dili incident in East Timor in 1991 when security forces opened
fire on protesters in a cemetery, killing dozens of people.

Kontras therefore urged that all of the suspects be court
martialled, and demanded that the proceedings be held in public.

It also called on ABRI to take "effective steps" to free the
12 activists who are still missing.

Kontras activist Standarkiaa said that political activist Andi
Arief -- a police suspect in the Tanah Tinggi bomb blast in
Central Jakarta last January -- is scheduled to give his
testimony over his abduction at the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation office in Central Jakarta today. Andi was released
from Jakarta Police detention last week.

Syamsu confirmed that Andi would testify at his office on
Thursday. (imn/byg/30)