'Gross human rights abuse took place in May riots'

'Gross human rights abuse took place in May riots'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Commission on Human Rights declared on Tuesday
that gross human rights violations had occurred during massive
riots in Jakarta in May 1998, which preceded the fall of long-
time ruler Soeharto.

After carrying out an investigation for about two months, the
commission's ad hoc team, led by Solahuddin Wahid, concluded that
"security authorities at that time failed to curb the widespread
riots that took place simultaneously."

The team also found that the riots erupted as a result of a
specific policy, because of "a similar pattern at almost all
places where the riots took place, which began with provocation,
followed by an attack on civilians".

During three nightmare days in the nation's history, between
May 12 and May 14, around 1,200 people were killed. Thousands of
people attacked or looted shops, markets and housing estates
during the violence. Mass rapes reportedly targeted ethnic
Chinese.

The rioting followed mass demonstrations demanding the
resignation of Soeharto, which were marked by the shooting dead
of four Trisakti University students. He fulfilled the demands on
May 21.

Solahuddin said that, during the last two months, his team had
examined reports of a government-sanctioned, joint fact-finding
team investigating the riots, which, until now, remains unheeded
by law enforcers.

Solahuddin, also a younger brother of former president
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, said the team planned to collect
more evidence by questioning several witnesses mentioned in the
previous report, including the then Jakarta Military commander
and Jakarta Police chief.

The team plans to submit the report to the House of
Representatives.

Accompanying Solahuddin during the media conference were team
deputy chairman Hasto Atmodjo and member M.M. Bilah.

Under the administration of president B.J. Habibie, also
Soeharto's hand-picked successor, the government established a
joint team to investigate the May riots and, if possible, reveal
the perpetrators and masterminds of the riots.

The 18-member team, which comprised representatives of the
Indonesian Military (TNI), government institutions, the rights
body and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), presented its
report to the justice ministry, office of the state minister of
women's affairs, security and defense ministry, foreign ministry
and the Attorney General's Office.

The team confirmed that at least 66 women, mostly Chinese-
Indonesians, were raped during the riots.

Former Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin was the first official to testify to the
investigative team. The team also questioned several military
officers in charge at the time, including former Army's Strategic
Reserves Command chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, former
city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata and former TNI
Intelligence Agency chief Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim.

The team told the House in 2000 of its belief that there was a
link between the unrest, the abduction of political activists and
the killing of Trisakti University students by police officers.

But the House rejected public demands and declared no gross
human rights violations had taken place in the incidents in
Trisakti, Semanggi I in November 1998, and Semanggi II in
September 1999. Consequently the House did not recommend the
establishment of an ad hoc court to prosecute the suspects in the
incidents.

The House further recommended the trial of civilian suspects
at the district court and military and police suspects at the
military tribunal.