Attorney General's Office probes T. Priok rights abuses

JAKARTA (JP): State prosecutors decided on Monday to continue their investigation into the 1984 Tanjung Priok incident, while awaiting the establishment of a joint investigating team on human rights abuses which would eventually take over the case.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo said the 40- member team of prosecutors summoned four witnesses to testify on Monday, but only one person attended.

Muljohardjo said the witness testified that he attended a meeting to recite verses from the Koran on Sept. 12, 1984 on Jl. Sindang, North Jakarta.

The preacher during the meeting, Amir Biki, reportedly spoke of inciting support for the release of four people being detained at the district military command's office.

There is no immediate information about when the three absent witnesses would be summoned again, however prosecutors have already scheduled another three witnesses to be questioned on Tuesday.

According to Muljohardjo, the decision to proceed with investigations was reached after a meeting between prosecutors, the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas Ham) and the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) last week.

Muljohardjo said prosecutors would begin investigating the case because members for the joint investigating are still being selected.

Once the team is formed, prosecutors will hand over the investigation.

"If the joint team finds the testimonies and information gathered by the prosecutors insufficient, the team can repeat the investigation," Muljohardjo told journalists.

The Attorney General's Office began an investigation into the case based on an inquiry report by Komnas Ham, but then ceased inquiries after alleged victims and relatives of the Tanjung Priok incident demanded a more credible joint team investigate the case, consisting of experts and public figures.

However the establishment of the joint team has been dogged by delays.

Previous governments have claimed that the Sept. 12, 1984 clash was caused following provocative lectures at the Tanjung Priok Rawa Badak Mosque, by preachers criticizing the government.

Komnas Ham said in its report that there were 33 known fatalities in the incident, including 14 people whose identities remain unknown, and a Chinese-Indonesian family of eight and their servant who burned to death when their house was set on fire.

The report also states that at least 55 people were injured during the incident. (bby)