Communists targeted over murders

Communists targeted over murders

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto warned on Tuesday against exploiting and
politicizing the mysterious murder spree in East Java to disrupt
national stability.

"Many people have questioned the mysterious murder spree and
politicized it by connecting it with other problems so that now
has the potential to threaten stability at home and in the
region," Wiranto said after a meeting with President B.J. Habibie
and U.S. Security Agency Director K. Lieberthal at the Merdeka
Palace here.

He said the government and security authorities would
"empower" people in East Java and other provinces to be active in
maintaining security in their own areas. This, he said, would
avoid more victims and prevent the killings from spreading to
other areas.

Separately, National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi
reiterated the police would direct their investigation into the
killings toward members of the banned Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI).

He again insisted that revenge was behind a number of the
murders committed by relatives of former PKI members.

Speaking in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Monday, he
said police have arrested 169 people in connection with the
murder spree and said they would be intensively interrogated to
determine the motives behind the killings.

He said the number of victims has now reached 153 spread
throughout 11 regencies of East Java, 85 of which were from
Banyuwangi, 23 from Sumenep, 17 from Jember, eleven from Pasuruan
and six from Sampang.

Banyuwangi Regent H.T. Purnomo Sidik warned against jumping to
conclusions on motives for the mysterious murder spree, saying
that "misinterpretation" could trigger new problems in the
province.

Sidik met with Maj. Gen. Djoko Subroto, the chief of the
Brawijaya Military Command which oversees East Java, in
Banyuwangi on Tuesday.

Included in Djoko's entourage were East Java Provincial Police
chief Maj. Gen. Moch Dayat, deputy governor Imam Supardi and
several members of the provincial legislative council.

He denied that ulemas, Koranic teachers and Islamic boarding
school leaders have been specifically targeted in the killings.

He also denied that the killings were committed by relatives
of former communist party members.

He acknowledged that revenge was behind the murder spree and
that it had to do with cultural problems in the affected
regencies.

"Black magic had been developing robustly in Banyuwangi and
locals took pride in the reputation it bestowed upon them. Black
magic has claimed many lives in the region. It had been like that
for years," he said, adding that relatives of the victims felt it
was now time for them to take revenge against the practitioners
of witchcraft.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the killings have spread to
Central and West Java.

In Wonorejo village in Demak, Central Java, Moslem teacher
Rochmadi was killed by a mob while saying his evening prayer at a
mosque near his house.

In Margasana village, Serang, West Java, on Monday, a 55-year-
old farmer identified as Jajul bin Suhaemi was forced under water
in a mosque's water tank then beaten to death by an angry mob on
Monday, Antara reported yesterday.

Meanwhile, ulemas representing the country's largest Moslem
organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, and the
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), held a meeting with East Java
Governor Imam Utomo in Surabaya to seek an end to the mysterious
murder spree.

M. Hasyim Manan of the East Java MUI chapter said afterward
that ulemas had tried to make the governor accept responsibility
for the tragedy.

He said the police have arrested 113 suspects, five of whom
had allegedly paid others to kill on their behalf.

Two politicians from Purwokerto in Central Java have expressed
deep concern over the slaughter, saying it has been politicized
to discredit Nadhlatul Ulama and its followers.

Noor Iskandar al-Barsany, an NU ulema and chairman of the
National Awakening Party's (PKB's) Central Java chapter, said the
murders were not just ordinary crimes because they were committed
in a chain, professionally, and most of the victims were ulemas
and NU supporters.

Noor Iskandar said he was aware of the situation in Banyuwangi
and insisted that the number of black magic practitioners in the
regency was less than 100.

He also said he believed the murderers were not former members
of the PKI.

Rubiyanto Misman, the rector of the state University of
Soedirman, concurred and said the government should take tough
action against those found guilty of murder in the tragedy which
has tarnished the nation's image.

"The government should investigate the tragedy thoroughly and
bring the suspects to court," he said. (nur/har/45/rms)