Controversial cases dominate human rights body's work

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has received thousands of reports of human rights violations since it was established in late 1993.

Last year alone it received 3,321 letters.

Most are related to land and worker disputes. However, it has been the political reports, involving disputes between individuals or groups and the authorities, which have drawn national and international attention.

In most cases, the commission has not come up with the thorough conclusions the public might have hoped for. In response the commission said its job is limited to finding indications of wrongdoing and coming up with recommendations.

The Army has often proved responsive to its findings, as is reflected by some of the cases.

July 27

The July 27 riot investigation is viewed as one of the most controversial. Many believe it was triggered by the takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters by the government-sanctioned camp of the party.

The commission is still investigating possibilities of rights violations during the riot.

Its preliminary findings published in August said five people died, 149 were injured and 74 were still missing.

This was in stark contrast to the government's report, which mentioned four dead and only 26 injured, while no one was reported missing.

President Soeharto then ordered the commission to prove its findings.

On Oct. 2 the commission announced that 30 people are still missing. Its final report is scheduled to be disclosed after its plenary meeting on Oct. 10.

Ujungpandang

In April, three students drowned when trying to avoid clashes with security officers during a demonstration against public bus fare rises in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi.

This was the commission's conclusion, after which the regional military command admitted some of their members had resorted to violence in the clash.

Twelve officers of the regional military command were then brought before a military tribunal for violating military procedures.

Marsinah

In Surabaya, East Java, the badly mutilated body of labor activist Marsinah was found in May 1993, a few days after she organized a strike at a watch factory of PT Catur Putra Surya.

The murder, the arrest of the prime suspects and the trials were all controversial.

The arrest of the owner and executives of the company in Oct. 1993 raised an outcry as they were abducted and declared missing for a few days before police announced they had been arrested.

Then all the defendants withdrew their confessions, alleging they were tortured by investigators.

Investigations by the commission concluded there were indications of violations of the defendants' rights.

They were acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court last year. Non-governmental organizations have demanded that police should reopen the investigation.

Liquisa

The commission twice sent a fact-finding team to investigate reports of procedural violations by the military in Liquisa, a regency west of East Timor's capital Dili, last March.

It concluded military personnel violated rights in an operation, on Jan. 12 this year which left six villagers dead.

The late chairman Ali Said said the military believed the six civilians were supporters of a GPK, or security disturbance movement. In East Timor GPK is government shorthand for the Fretilin separatist group which is seeking East Timorese independence from Indonesia.

The commission's findings, according to some human rights activists, resulted in two soldiers being summoned before military tribunals. Several officers and soldiers were disciplined over the incident.

Timika

A commission team announced last September that it had found evidence of the murder of a number of civilians in the town of Timika, Irian Jaya.

The team was set up following reports of the alleged murder of 17 civilians by military personnel in the copper mining complex of PT Freeport Indonesia.

The commission lauded the measures taken by the Army in sending its own team to investigate the case, and its plan to set up an officers' honorary council to look into the matter.

Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung conceded there had been a "procedural error and a violation of regulations" in soldiers' handling of the incident.

He declined to reveal the number of casualties, but said it took place on June 1 during a military operation set up to ambush a group of people belonging to the Free Papua Movement (OPM), an armed separatist organization. (imn)