Honorary Council or trial?

Honorary Council or trial?

Despite lingering skepticism, the formation of an Honorary
Military Council, as announced by Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto yesterday, could
mark an important phase in the ongoing investigation of the
alleged involvement of Indonesian military personnel in the
abductions and torture of political activists in the months
preceding the downfall of president Soeharto in May. It also
could be an encouraging signal that the Indonesian Armed Forces
will, from now on, deal with problems such as serious human
rights abuses that are potentially damaging to its prestige, with
honesty, fairness and impartiality.

For this to be true, however, ...

To briefly recapitulate the case: The first apparently
enforced disappearance of a dissenting political activist
occurred as early as July 1996, with more occurring in April and
May of the following year. It was, however, between February and
May of this year that such disappearances reached alarming
numbers -- 35 according to the Jakarta news magazine Forum
Keadilan (Forum for Justice). At present, human rights workers
report that at least 12 remain missing.

However, the Armed Forces only took action after Pius
Lustrilanang, a student activist who disappeared on Feb. 4 and
resurfaced on April 2, broke the silence and told the story of
his abduction, torture and detention to the National Commission
on Human Rights. His dramatic account of the ordeal he suffered
at the hands of his evidently "professional" abductors created
shockwaves both here at home and abroad.

The official announcement made by Wiranto yesterday said three
senior Army officers would soon face questioning by the council
about their suspected involvement in the affair. They are two
former commandants-general of the Army special force (Kopassus),
Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto and Maj. Gen. Muchdi, and Kopassus
group commander Col. Chairawan. In addition, court martial
charges are being prepared against ten other soldiers, including
three junior officers, who military investigators have said are
believed to be involved in the case.

The encouraging element in these procedures is that Wiranto
appears to be sincere in his promise to uncover the whole affair
"transparently" in order to restore the Armed Forces' good
standing. And, indeed, it is of the utmost importance that he
does. The abduction of political activists -- and only political
activists -- performed over a period of so many months, was
obviously driven by political motives.

It will be difficult for people to live in peace until it is
known what those motives were. No less important, people must be
assured that political kidnappings such as occurred during the
last months of the old Soeharto regime will never recur, and that
the law will be upheld in case they do, irrespective of the rank
and position of the perpetrators.

To achieve this, absolute fairness and transparency of
procedures must be ensured. This means that open courts martial
for all those involved is essential. The Honorary Military
Council may be helpful in providing the military authorities with
all the information they need about this disgraceful affair. But
if the public is to be fully reassured, the council must only be
the first step on the road to justice that is total and without
exception.