Generals still defiant about KPP HAM summons
Generals still defiant about KPP HAM summons
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former Armed Forces chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto and former
National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi are maintaining their
resistance to answering summonses to testify at an inquiry into
three high-profile incidents in 1998 and 1999.
But unlike Wiranto who was unresponsive, Roesmanhadi, through
his lawyers, gave prior notice to the Commission of Inquiry into
Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) probing the incidents, saying
he would not bow to the summons because he did not recognize the
existence of the inquiry.
The Central Jakarta District Court has ruled that the inquiry
is legitimate and has the right to summon security officers
involved in the bloodshed, which took place at Trisakti
University in May 1998, and in Semanggi in November 1998 and
September 1999.
KPP HAM issued new summonses at the request of the court. The
first summons sent to the two retired generals was dated Feb. 26.
In his notice, Roesmanhadi insisted that the inquiry be
disbanded.
"Our client will not comply with the commission's summons
before the dispute between the National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) and the military/police as to the inquiry's
legitimacy has been resolved," stated the letter, which was
signed by Roesmanhadi's lawyers, M. Sholeh Amin and Edy
Kurniawan.
KPP HAM member Munarman from the Indonesian Legal Aid
Institute Foundation (YLBHI) said the former police chief gave
reasons that were not based on the facts.
He maintained that the House of Representatives special
committee that probed the incidents had nothing to do with the
House's authority to recommend an ad hoc trial for past
atrocities as stipulated by Law No. 26/2000 on human rights
tribunals.
The House, according to Munarman, recommended that the ongoing
military trial of the suspects in the Trisakti shooting continue.
He said that KPP HAM would serve new summonses on both Wiranto
and Roesmanhadi.
The inquiry is hoping that three other witnesses will appear
on Wednesday, including former Jakarta Police chief Comr. Gen.
Noegroho Djajoesman, another former Jakarta Police chief Insp.
Gen. Hamami Nata and former Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen.
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who has just been installed as the
Indonesian Military (TNI)'s spokesman.
KPP HAM is investigating the shooting of four Trisakti
University students during a demonstration on May 12, 1998, which
led to the fall of the Soeharto regime, and two incidents near
the Semanggi cloverleaf on Nov. 13, 1998 and on Sept. 24, 1999
respectively, in which dozens of students and residents were
killed.
Set up by Komnas HAM, the inquiry has been working for seven
months. Komnas HAM has extended its remit for another month until
March 27.