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)