East Java killings 'acts of political terror', says NU

East Java killings 'acts of political terror', says NU

JAKARTA (JP): In the face of repeated denials by the local
government and military, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) announced on
Saturday its conviction that political maneuvering was behind a
recent killing spree in Banyuwangi, East Java, and surrounding
areas.

Backing the findings of its East Java chapter's investigation
into the murders of Moslem clerics and alleged witchcraft
practitioners, NU headquarters here said the killings were acts
of "political terror" and not pure crimes.

It was a terror spree launched to stir up unrest within
society, the organization said in a statement following a meeting
on Dec. 11 to Dec. 12 of its Syuriah (law-making body) and
Tanfidziyah (executive body) members.

"The (NU) team's finding proved there had been organized
movements and it had, either directly or indirectly, indicated
the involvement of government and military members," the
organization said as quoted by Antara.

The statement was signed by the Syuriah's chairman Ilyas
Ruchiyat and its deputy chairman Said Aqiel Siradj, as well as
the Tanfidziyah's deputy chairman Mustafa Zuhad and its
secretary-general Ahmad Bagdja.

The East Java fact-finding team said that as many as 253
people were killed by well-trained assassins clad in black ninja
outfits. Homicides occurred in the East Java towns of Banyuwangi,
Jember, Situbondo, Bondowoso, Sampang, Pamekasan and Pasuruan.

It said most of those killed were NU members.

It said the organized killings initially targeted 500 people,
based on a controversial list of 500 "black magic practitioners"
sent out through radio messages by Banyuwangi Regent Turjono
Purnomo Sidik in February.

The regent said those named needed protection from vigilantes.
However, the messages were relayed in February, not in September
as claimed by the regent.

'Scenario'

The "scenario" of the assassinations, the fact-finding team
had said, had been planned five months before the killings peaked
from August through September.

In an evident show of discontent at the government's handling
of the killings, the NU chapter threatened to bring the case
before the International Court of Justice.

In its response earlier last week, the Armed Forces (ABRI)
said it had dispatched a joint ABRI and NU team to further
investigate the case.

In its statement, NU said it appreciated ABRI's move.

Through the statement, NU also called on all its youth wings,
including its multipurpose task-force unit Banser and the Pagar
Nusa martial arts unit to cooperate with local administrations
across the country in maintaining security.

In a related development on Sunday, thousands of members of
the NU youth wings from across East and Central Java and Madura
gathered at the Simpang Lima downtown shopping center in
Semarang, Central Java, to urge the government to unveil the
culprits in the Banyuwangi killings.

In the peaceful gathering attended by Governor Mardiyanto and
Central Java Military Chief Maj. Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, they also
pledged their commitment to national unity and called on
political groups to stay away from "violent and criminal
politicking". (har/aan)