Govt must reopen investigation into July 27 riot

Govt must reopen investigation into July 27 riot

JAKARTA (JP): Leading rights campaigner Marzuki Darusman
renewed calls yesterday for the government to reopen the
investigation into the July 27, 1996 attack on the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters which led to five deaths and
the disappearance of many other people.

Marzuki, who is deputy chairman of the respected National
Commission on Human Rights, told the media yesterday that the
case should be settled once and for all to bring speculation to
an end.

He described how every time there was talk about the bloody
incident, the rights body was urged to press the government to
reinvestigate the incident. The most recent call was made by
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted chairwoman of the PDI whose
supporters had the headquarters wrested from their hands by a
rival faction in the party.

"The case should be settled to end speculation," Marzuki said
commenting on Megawati's call.

During a rally to mark the second anniversary of the incident
held at her home in South Jakarta on Monday, Megawati called on
the government to follow up on the rights body's recommendation
and begin to search for those still missing after the incident.

Megawati was ousted from the PDI leadership by Soerjadi in a
government-backed congress in Medan in June 1996.

Then on July 27, 1996, her supporters were forced out of the
PDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta. The incident
sparked a major riot in surrounding areas.

Many believe the government under former president Soeharto
engineered the takeover of the headquarters because it resented
Megawati's increasing influence.

The rights body said at least five people were killed in the
incident and 23 others are still classified as missing. It also
linked the government and the military with the incident.

"The government and the security apparatus involved themselves
excessively and failed to act impartially in their role
overseeing political and security affairs," it said.

Marzuki said the public still viewed the case as unsettled.

"To settle the problem by simply saying there are now two PDIs
or that (the two conflicting factions) should reconcile is not a
fair or realistic solution," Marzuki said.

Marzuki said the new government under President B.J. Habibie
should not consider the PDI to have returned to "normal".

Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, when asked about the
protracted conflict recently, said there could now be two PDIs
under the respective leaderships of Megawati and Soerjadi.

Syarwan, who was Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of sociopolitical
affairs when the bloody takeover took place, maintained on Monday
that the affair was an "internal matter" between Soerjadi and
Megawati.

However Soerjadi said yesterday that the government must be
held responsible for the incident.

"You know the security personnel were at the scene (during the
takeover). The existence of the PDI, Golkar and the United
Development Party cannot be separated from the government's
intervention," Soerjadi was quoted by Antara as saying.

Regarding denial of involvement from Syarwan and Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung, who
was ABRI commander at the time, Soerjadi said: "It was only what
they said."

Former minister of home affairs Yogie S. Memed also denied any
involvement in the removal of Megawati yesterday.

"It was not me who was fighting, the fighting was between
them," Yogie, who is now a member of the Supreme Advisory
Council, said.

Soerjadi reminded the government that it was still the main
patron of the political parties.

"There must be some part of the government that can be held
responsible for the PDI problem," Soerjadi said.

Soerjadi also said the PDI congress was scheduled to begin on
August 25 in Sulawesi. (byg)