Habibie vows an end to Java killing spree

Habibie vows an end to Java killing spree

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie vowed on Friday to bring
an immediate end to the mysterious killing spree which has
gripped Java over the past few months and claimed the lives of
more than 150 people.

"He (Habibie) will devote his best efforts to settling the
matter," Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI)
Quraish Shihab quoted the President as saying.

Shihab spoke to journalists after meeting with the President
at Merdeka Palace along with six others MUI executives -- Ilyas
Ruchiyat, Ali Yafie, Din Syamsuddin, Zakiyah Dradjat, Ismail
Hasan and H. Suresh.

Meanwhile, three more suspected ninja killers were killed by a
mob in Pemalang regency, Central Java, in the early hours of
Friday morning.

Pemalang police chief Lt. Col. Ismarno confirmed the killings.
He said one more suspect escaped from the mob and another was
rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

The incident occurred on Jl. Raya Mega. The victims, who were
traveling in a minivan, were stopped by local night watchmen then
lynched for failing to produce their ID cards, Ismarno said.

"They were suspected of being 'ninjas' who have been
terrorizing residents lately, but we are not sure and are still
investigating the incident," Ismarno told The Jakarta Post.

Antara provided a different version of the incident, saying
that four people died -- two of whom were beaten to death, and
two of whom were hanged. The victims were said to reside in
Jakarta, Bekasi in West Java and the Central Java town of Blora.

The news agency also said that residents searched the victims'
van, which had a Jakarta license plate. They claimed to have
found a number of machetes, ropes, sacks, red clothing, a piece
of paper with mantras written on it and a list of local Moslem
preachers.

The murder spree initially started in the East Java town of
Banyuwangi, where those suspected of practicing black magic were
targeted. The killings later spread to surrounding towns in the
province before spilling over into Central and West Java. The
killers' targets became Moslem preachers, many of whom were
members of largest Moslem organization, Nahdlatul Ulama.

Ilyas said the ulemas council had called on Habibie to quickly
and comprehensively solve the killings.

"If they are not comprehensively solved, there may be more
harmful developments or... the limited patience of the people
will (end and) result in something that none of us want to
happen," Ruchiyat said.

However, the group maintained their warning was not an
ultimatum to the government. The group also urged comprehensive
settlement of all cases involving violence against Moslems.

Ruchiyat, who is also a Nahdlatul Ulama executive, quoted
Habibie as calling on people to have patience because of the
large numbers of cases to be solved.

"Understanding is sought (from the public) so that we can all
be patient while at the same time make an effort (to solve the
cases,)" he was quoted as saying.

Habibie's comments came a day after Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Subagyo Hadisiswoyo made a similar pledge to complete the
investigation of the killings as soon as possible.

Subagyo has said the Army's findings will be made public.

There has been a growing outcry over the police and military's
sluggish response to the killings.

In more recent weeks the violence has turned against suspected
"ninjas" -- men clad in black with their faces covered in the
fashion of Japanese assassins -- who are blamed for most of the
killings.

Rough justice meted out by neighborhood watches set up in
several areas of East Java to protect villages from "ninjas", has
led to the lynching of many people suspected of involvement in
the murders.

Mobs have attacked, hanged, burned and decapitated people
found without identity documents or roaming the countryside after
dark.

Religious and military leaders have said conflicts within the
country's political elite may be behind the violence in East Java
as they seek to spread unrest ahead of next year's general
election.

Nahdlatul Ulama said early this week that it would take action
on its own if the military failed to solve the murders by the end
of November.

East Java Military chief Maj. Gen. Djoko Subroto did not rule
out the possibility of political motives behind the killing
spree.

"It's still unclear... So I can't talk about it now. I could
make mistakes if I do," Antara quoted him as saying on Friday.

In Semarang, the Central Java chapter of Muhammadiyah, the
country's second largest Moslem organization, issued a statement
expressing its concern over the killings. (43/45/har/aan)