Goenawan, Bintang deny involvement in German protest

Goenawan, Bintang deny involvement in German protest

JAKARTA (JP): Goenawan Mohamad and Sri Bintang Pamungkas
denied military accusations that they took part in demonstrations
against President Soeharto in Germany early this month.

Goenawan, a former chief editor of the banned Tempo magazine,
and Bintang, a legislator of the United Development Party (PPP),
told The Jakarta Post in separate interviews that they have
alibis that prove they were nowhere near the area when the
protests occurred.

"I'm clean," Bintang asserted. "Those accusations against me
are slander."

"I'm innocent," Goenawan said. "I know nothing about the
demonstrations."

"I protest against all those accusations," Bintang said. "With
such accusations, they could have me charged with subversion and
I could land in prison for an indefinite length of time."

Bintang said he was in Germany for a series of speaking
engagements at around the same time as Soeharto's visit to that
country.

He said he was in Hannover to give a lecture on Indonesian
economics at the local university. He also gave lectures at
several other universities and functions.

He acknowledged watching an anti-Indonesia demonstration,
which took place near the hotel where he was staying in Hannover.
He said he also visited the Hannover trade and industrial fair,
but went there after Soeharto had left.

Goenawan said he had left Germany before Soeharto arrived. "My
recent visit to that country had nothing to do with the
protests."

Both men said their trip schedules are proof enough of their
innocence. Bintang said he's ready to be questioned.

About 100 people, including several Indonesians, staged a
demonstration alleging Indonesian human rights violations when
President Soeharto opened Germany's Hannover Fair with German
Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Another protest took place during Soeharto's visit in Dresden,
and was reportedly joined in by a number of East Timorese.

Bintang said he never set foot in Dresden during his stay.

According to Goenawan's European visit schedule, he and his
wife, Widarti, were in Germany between March 3 and March 18. The
couple continued their trip to the Netherlands, Britain and
France. "I was already in Singapore on April 2, a day before the
demonstrations were staged," he said.

Chief of the Armed Forces' General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono
said the government had proof that Goenawan, Bintang, and
democracy activist Yenni Rosa Damayanti were involved in the
protests.

Yenni, who completed a 12-month jail term in December for
insulting President Soeharto during a demonstration, is believed
to still be overseas.

"We have witnesses, photographs and video recordings as
evidence to prove that the three and several others joined in the
demonstrations," Soeyono said on Thursday. Police have been asked
to further investigate the allegations, he said.

"They can be charged with subversion," Soeyono said. In
addition to "tarnishing Indonesia's image, they have put the
President in danger," he said.

Bintang returned from Germany on Thursday and was immediately
surrounded by dozens of reporters and activists from several non-
governmental organizations at the Soekarno-Hatta airport.

There was also a strong presence of police officers and plain-
clothes security personnel. The chaos forced the legislator to
cut short his press conference.

"Those accusations against me are arbitrary," he said. "I
believe the demonstration is the Indonesian government's own
responsibility because the protesters see the country as having
violated human rights."

On Thursday, President Soeharto ordered firm action against
Indonesians who took part in the demonstration in Germany. "We
must be firm (because) they are like insane people. They are
irrational people," he said when asked to comment about the
protests against him.

On Wednesday, just hours after the press reported the alleged
involvement of Bintang, PPP leaders held a special meeting to
discuss the matter and decided to apologize to President
Soeharto.

"The party's central executive board is ashamed of Bintang's
conduct," said Hamzah Haz, chairman of the PPP faction at the
House. "He's a House member but his actions do not reflect his
position as a representative of the people."

"The party will write a letter of apology to President
Soeharto," he said.

Bintang expressed amazement over his party's decision. "I'm
not yet found guilty, and they're already apologizing? They are
the ones who should be ashamed of themselves," he lashed out.

Attorney General Singgih has called on the police to
investigate Bintang's alleged role in the case of "crime against
the state's security".

Attorney General's Office spokesman, Basrief Arief, said on
Thursday that Singgih has submitted a request to President
Soeharto to conduct an investigation on the legislator.
(swe/rms/29)