Habibie instructs ABRI to be firm against killers

Habibie instructs ABRI to be firm against killers

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie said on Thursday that he
had instructed the Armed Forces (ABRI) to completely crack down
on the perpetrators of the mysterious killing spree that began in
East Java and spread to other places.

In response to a claim by the Islamic organization Matlaul
Anwar, the President maintained the murders were purely criminal
acts and did not have any political motive.

"The President said it was a crime and that he had ordered
ABRI to settle the problem," Matlaul Anwar chairman Irsyad Djuali
said after he and the organization's other leaders met the
President at Merdeka Palace.

When asked whether he agreed with the President's view, Irsyad
replied: "We have heard from various circles it was caused by a
rivalry among the political elites, but we must trust the
President's explanation that it was merely a crime".

Irsyad had urged the President to take quick steps because the
killings might spread to other places, such as Banten, in West
Java. Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto said recently that the
killings were the result of a rivalry between factions of the
political elite.

The killing spree has claimed more than 150 lives in East
Java, mostly in Banyuwangi and Jember. Victims were people
suspected of practicing black magic (santet), religious teachers,
preachers and even ordinary farmers.

Angry and desperate people have tortured and even killed a
number of people suspected of being "ninja killers" in Surabaya,
Malang, Pasuruan, Banyuwangi and Jember.

Police shot two alleged killers in Jambi, Suryadi, 38, and
Bukik, 45, on Thursday morning after they allegedly resisted
police orders to surrender.

"We have arrested 68 santet killers so far," Jember Police
chief Lt. Col. Madjid Tawil said on Thursday.

Malang Military Commander Col. Agus Suyitno complained that
certain irresponsible groups had victimized people with mental
disorders by sending them to several villages in Malang with the
aim of creating tension among villagers.

Antara quoted him as saying that since Saturday, villagers had
killed 10 victims suffering from mental disorders who they
mistakenly identified as being killers who were usually masked,
dressed in black, and attacked their victims at night.

Diponegoro Military Commander Maj. Gen. Tyasno Sudarto
expressed concern over the violence that had spilled over into
Central Java. He said people no longer hesitated to use violent
and sadistic ways to force other people to bow to their own will.

In Serang, West Java, a number of subdistrict heads complained
about the Serang prosecutor's office request for them to submit a
list of people practicing witchcraft there.

"We were surprised by the request because we are afraid a
similar situation to Banyuwangi will happen here," a local
official said on Thursday as quoted by the Kompas daily.

In a statement Thursday the new National Labor Party (PBN)
alleged the killings were organized and aimed at frightening
people not to join new political parties. "The use of political
violence will become a serious hurdle for cadre recruitment," its
chairman Tohap Simanungkalit said. (prb/nur)