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)