Court again delays Sriyanto's trial

JAKARTA: The ad hoc human rights tribunal for the Tanjung Priok incident in 1984 adjourned for the second time on Thursday a session to hear the sentence recommendation for Army Special Forces (Kopassus) chief Maj. Gen. Sriyanto Muntrasan, who was absent.

The defendant's lawyer Yan Juanda Saputra told the court his client was still on duty in the troubled provinces of Aceh and Papua and would only return to Jakarta on July 6.

The panel of judges decided to delay the trial until July 8.

Last week, the judges adjourned the trial because the prosecutors were not ready with their recommended sentence.

Sriyanto, who was the operation chief with the North Jakarta military at the time of the incident, is accused of letting his personnel commit human rights violations.

The court has sentenced another defendant in the case, former Jakarta Military Police chief Maj. Gen. Rudolf Butar-butar, to 10 years in prison. -- JP