Execution awaits two political prisoners

Execution awaits two political prisoners

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman said yesterday
that two political prisoners on death row, convicted for their
roles in the 1965 coup attempt blamed on the Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI), will be executed in the near future.

"Two political prisoners, who were convicted to death for
their involvement in the PKI's 1965 abortive coup, will be
executed," he told reporters yesterday.

However, he declined to identify them. "It is not ethical to
mention their names for publishing in the newspapers," he said.

Local media have nonetheless identified them as Chief Sergeant
Bungkus and Sergeant-major Marsudi. Both were members of the
Cakrabirawa, President Sukarno's security team.

During the coup attempt, Bungkus was assigned to kidnap Gen.
A.H. Nasution, chief of the armed forces, and Gen. Ahmad Yani,
the army chief. Marsudi was responsible for kidnapping Lt. Gen.
M.T. Haryono and Maj. Gen. D.I. Panjaitan.

Marsudi succeeded in kidnapping Haryono and Panjaitan, while
Bungkus was only successful with Ahmad Yani. Nasution managed to
escape from the attack and became an eyewitness of the abortive
coup.

The PKI was outlawed in 1966. Many of the party's members and
supporters were rounded up afterwards and sentenced to hard labor
on Buru Island in Maluku. They were released under a general
amnesty in the late 1970s.

Oetojo declined to mention the date and where the two
prisoners will be executed.

"We'll find out the date and place of the execution three days
before the execution," he said.

He ruled out presidential clemency, which was recently granted
to three other political prisoners: Soebandrio, Omar Dhani and
Raden Soegeng Soetarto, all of whom were released last week.

"The reason to approve a clemency request for each prisoner is
different," he said.

He said that the president and the government have to consider
to what extent a prisoner was involved in the coup attempt.

Oetojo also declined to mention how many times the two
prisoners have applied for clemency.

"Granting clemency is the president's prerogative. All I know
is that they have filed the request," he said.

In addition to Bungkus and Marsudi, four political prisoners
are also waiting for the president to approve their clemency
requests. They are Asep Suryaman, Soekatno, Abdul Latief and
Isnanto.

Asep, Soekatno and Latief are being detained at the Cipinang
penitentiary in East Jakarta, while Isnanto is at the Tanjung
Gusta prison in Medan, North Sumatra.(imn)