Govt promulgates latest facts on rape during rioting

JAKARTA (JP): The government said 76 women were violated during the May rioting here and in other cities, but claimed on Monday they were not the victims of an organized crime.

The government also hinted that contrary to what many people believed, the victims were not largely women of Chinese descent.

Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said 52 women were raped, 24 others were sexually assaulted, while four more victims were sexually harassed. He did not give the definitions for rape, sexual assault or harassment.

"According to our investigation, there was no evidence that the rapes were conducted in an organized way," Akbar said after meeting with President B.J. Habibie at the Merdeka Palace.

The President received Minister of Defense/Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto, Minister of Muladi and the government representatives of the government-appointed fact-finding joint team (TPGF).

"The victims come from various ethnic backgrounds," Akbar hinted.

The team was set up by the President to investigate the riots which became a decisive factor for president Soeharto's resignation on May 21.

Human rights groups had initially claimed not less than 117 women, mostly of Chinese ethnic origin, were raped during the riots. Nearly 1,200 people were believed to have burned alive as they were trapped in fires at shopping centers, offices, houses and public places.

Police said 451 people were killed during the riots in Jakarta and 32 outside Jakarta, while the military said 463 were killed in Jakarta.

"We are not including the death toll due to the different numbers," Akbar said.

The government-appointed team said in its report last month that 52 women, mostly Chinese-Indonesians, were raped. Fourteen of the women were raped with violence, the team said.

The team also mentioned 10 women who were sexually harassed. The rapes occurred in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Solo and other major cities.

"Only 15 of the rape cases can be followed up with legal proceedings," said Maj. Gen. Marwan Paris, who is a member of Wiranto's staff of experts.

Marwan said the government received three confirmations directly from victims, three from parents of victims, and nine from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI).

"The government will continue investigating the rest," Marwan noted.

The team, led by the chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, Marzuki Darusman, also found that Soeharto's son-in-law Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto and former Jakarta military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin might have been involved in the riots.

"This is the final conclusion of the government," Akbar said.

Akbar said the government would soon clarify the TGPF's statement linking the May riots with a meeting at the headquarters of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) on May 14.

The meeting was attended by several prominent leaders including Fahmi Idris, Minister of Manpower.

Akbar said the government would also accelerate the investigation into the shooting of Trisakti University students on May 12 which killed four students.

The incident remained a mystery as the military court only punished some police officers for disobedience to their commanders and not for the actual shooting.

"The Trisakti trial process will be completed soon in order to introduce legal certainty," Akbar said. (prb)