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)