Bring them back home, dead or alive

Bring them back home, dead or alive

Revealing the truth behind the recent kidnapping of political
activists and ensuring that innocent Indonesian citizens will
never again be abducted and tortured in their own country is
crucial to restoring trust in the nation's government. The
families of the missing persons desperately want their loved ones
back and are ambivalent to the debate on how best to bring those
responsible to justice. In this edition The Jakarta Post recaps
on the story so far and summarizes the latest developments in the
scandal which has caused an international outcry.

JAKARTA (JP): "The (military) unit involved has already been
identified and the kidnappers detained. But where are our sons?"

This question was shouted at Military Police Commander Maj.
Gen. Syamsu Djaluddin by D. Utomo Rahardjo, who was unhappy with
the officer's explanation of his son's fate.

His son is Petrus Bima Anugerah -- one of 12 political
activists still listed as missing by the independent Commission
for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras). Nine
others who were also kidnapped have since reappeared.

Syamsu, a tough looking general, had a hard time answering a
barrage of emotional questions fired at him by relatives of the
missing people at his office on July 22.

The general was unable to report any progress in the search
for the missing people. Utomo, after grumbling aloud that he was
tired of coming to Jakarta from his hometown of Malang, East
Java, walked out of the room in a show of anger.

Syamsu's assurances that the investigation was still in
progress did little to satisfy the others who remained anxiously
seated cradling pictures of their loved ones.

They were not impressed by Syamsu's promise to bring the
soldiers allegedly involved in the abductions to justice,
regardless of their rank.

"Just tell us the truth ... Even if they (the activists) are
dead, injured or disabled, we'll accept the truth," said Kontras
chairman Munir, who accompanied the grieving relatives.

As of yesterday, the whereabouts of the 12 remained a mystery.
Rumors that they are dead and have been buried somewhere in the
Thousand Islands, just north of Jakarta have been circulating.

Headed by Syamsu, the investigation team visited the
headquarters of the military Special Forces (Kopassus) in
Cijantung, East Jakarta, where the activists are believed to have
been detained and tortured. They were told that all the activists
had been released.

Concern about the fate of those still missing people was
raised by activist Pius Lustrilanang when he returned from a
whirlwind overseas tour on July 12 undertaken to attract
international attention to the violation of human rights in
Indonesia.

Pius, who was abducted on Feb. 4 and released on April 2, set
the world on fire by revealing his kidnap ordeal to the press and
the National Commission on Human Rights, despite having been
threatened with death if he did.

His courage and determination to expose the truth inspired
other kidnap victims -- Desmond J. Mahesa, Rahardjo Waluyo Djati
and Andi Arief -- to go public with their accounts of detention
and torture and the motive behind their abductions.

Abductions occurred in Jakarta, Lampung, Yogyakarta, Central
Java and East Java. In its latest edition, Forum biweekly lists
42 kidnap victims in the whole of Indonesia. Many (no official
number is available) have been released and one person was found
dead in Central Java.

Wiji Thukul, a Democratic People's Party (PRD) activist from
Surakarta, has been missing for the longest period of time. He
disappeared on July 27, 1996 and his whereabouts still remain a
mystery.

Activists have charged that the military is dragging its feet
in the investigation. However, military investigators already
have one essential clue which should help to unravel the mystery
shrouding the kidnapping: Kopassus has admitted its involvement
and 11 of its personnel have been detained.

Furthermore, Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subiyanto, Kopassus commander
when the kidnappings took place, has openly stated that he is
prepared to take responsibility for the policy that has tarnished
the government's image both at home and abroad.

The military investigation team is also looking into the
possible involvement of officers from other military units such
as the regional military commands and intelligence operatives.

On Thursday Munir and relatives of the missing persons met
Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto and asked him to step
up pressure for a more speedy investigation.

"We also urged the security authorities not to resort to
violence against activists which they may still be holding in
captivity," he told journalists after the meeting.

Munir revealed that volunteers supporting the missing persons'
relatives had been subjected to intimidation.

He also said he was strongly opposed to the military's plan to
try the detained Kopassus officers before a large amount of
evidence relating to the case has been collected and while 12
other activists have yet to be accounted for.

The military, anxious to show that it is taking the case
seriously, had been talking about forming an honorary council to
deal with senior officers implicated in the scandal.

Besides Prabowo, other senior officers under suspicion include
Col. Chairawan, the Kopassus Group IV Commander who has been
implicated in the abduction of Andi Arief, an active member of
the Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy (SMID).

The plan to set up a council has already drawn criticism. It
has been interpreted as a sign that the ABRI leadership intends
to settle the problem internally and that senior officers
allegedly involved in the abduction will be spared the shame of
facing a military tribunal.

Kontras is demanding that the investigation be expanded to
include former president Soeharto, former ABRI commander Feisal
Tanjung, Prabowo's successor Maj. Gen. Muchdi, former Jakarta
military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and former
National Police's chief detective Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi.

During Thursday's meeting, Gen. Wiranto took offense at
comments made by M.M. Billah, a Kontras activist who insinuated
that the kidnappers must have a strong bargaining position if
even the ABRI leadership was unable to take decisive action to
solve the case.

Wiranto insisted that he had no idea of the missing activists'
whereabouts and denied the abduction of activists was official
ABRI policy.

The complexity of the case has led many observers to conclude
that the abductions involved various military units and had the
blessing of top ABRI leaders at the time.

The unfolding scandal has been used by the international
community to mount pressure on crisis-battered Indonesia to
improve its human rights record.

Last week Washington urged Habibie to conduct an impartial
investigation of the case. Habibie is reportedly anxious to meet
U.S. president Bill Clinton in a bid to improve his international
standing.

A similar message was issued by donors grouped in the
Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which pledged fresh loans
worth US$8 billion during their meeting in Paris last week.

ABRI, currently battling to restore an image badly damaged by
this and other allegations of human rights abuse, has put its
reputation on the line. (pan)