Govt urged to do more to find missing activists
Govt urged to do more to find missing activists
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association urged Coordinating Minister for Defense and Security
Gen. Feisal Tanjung on Saturday to turn his attention to finding
several activists who had disappeared.
The association's executive director, Hendardi, asked the
minister to order National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo to
explain to the public what the authorities had done to find the
activists since they first received reports of the
disappearances.
"As Indonesian citizens, the activists have the right to have
their personal security guaranteed by the state," Hendardi said
in his letter to Feisal, a copy of which was made available to
The Jakarta Post.
The government's failure to give a satisfactory explanation
was giving rise to doubts about the government's commitment to
protecting its citizens, Hendardi said.
On his list of disappeared activists are Pius Lustrilanang,
29, the secretary of Siaga -- a loose association which supports
self-styled presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri and
government critic Amien Rais -- and Desmond J. Mahesa, a director
of the Nusantara Legal Aid Foundation.
Recently added to the list is Haryanto Taslam, deputy
secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) under Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who was ousted by a government-backed breakaway
faction in 1996.
Megawati's secretary-general, Alexander Litaay, confirmed
reports of Haryanto's disappearance. He said yesterday Haryanto
had been missing since March 9.
He told the Post he had referred the case to the security
authorities but had received no reply, adding that Haryanto had
not been involved in any political activities prior to his
disappearance.
Haryanto got into trouble with the authorities when he
organized a PDI anniversary gathering at Megawati's residence
last year that the police called illegal.
Hendardi also reported that several students of the state-run
Lampung University disappeared after they staged demonstrations
demanding political and economic reform two weeks ago.
He said that his office and Siaga's leader, stage actress
Ratna Sarumpaet, had reported the disappearance of Pius and
Desmond to the National Commission on Human Rights.
The commission members have urged the police to probe the
disappearance of the two activists.
Ratna is among the six people charged with holding an illegal
political gathering in North Jakarta on March 11. They have been
detained and will go on trial soon.
Pius, a secretary of the People's Democratic Alliance, was
reported missing on Feb. 4.
Desmond was reported missing on Feb. 3, a day after he was
visited by military intelligence agents, according to his
associates.
Hendardi said he believed the activists' disappearance was
linked to their organization of peaceful demonstrations against
some government policies.
He cited three activists, Saut Aritonang, Alexander Litaay and
Hendrik Sirait, who had previously disappeared because of their
activities.
Ratna said Hendrik, a Megawati supporter, had disappeared in
1996 for a week later only to report that he had been detained,
mistreated and had become deaf. (jun)