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)