Govt promulgates latest facts on rape during rioting

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)