House to reexamine findings in tragedies

House to reexamine findings in tragedies

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives will set up three
working committees to follow up all data and findings in the
student shootings at Trisakti University and in the Semanggi
cloverleaf, says a legislator.

Panda Nababan, chairman of the special committee investigating
the tragedies named Trisakti and Semanggi I and II, said on
Wednesday that the working committees would be established
because his committee failed to conclude who should be blamed for
the three tragedies.

"The working committees will each specialize in one incident
and their main task is to process all data and findings obtained
by the special committee from its investigation into the
tragedies," he said after a hearing with Lt. Gen. Djadja
Suparman, former chief of the City Military, and Inspector
General Nugroho Djajusman, former chief of Jakarta Police.

Nababan conceded that his committee would not be able to
reveal who shot all students and other victims in the three
incidents and who should be held responsible for them because not
only were the three cases complicated, but there were also data
and findings that needed further investigation.

"The data and findings were obtained from police and
military's officials' testimony, victims' relatives and students.
The working committees will also analyze data from the
intelligence agencies from the military, the National Police and
the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Bakin)," he said.

Seven students were shot dead and dozens of others were
injured when more than tens of thousands of students and youths
clashed with thousands of security personnel at the Semanggi
cloverleaf. The bloody clash occurred when the demonstrators
tried to force their way to the House to protest the Special
Session of People's Consultative Assembly on Nov. 13, 1998 which
accepted the military's dual function in defense and politics.

Nababan said both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the
National Police must know who or which group opened fire on the
demonstrators inside the campus of the Atma Jaya Catholic
University.

"Our intelligence agencies were very powerful in 1998 and they
must have data on which group opened fire on the students," he
said.

Both Djadja and Nugroho denied security personnel's
involvement because they were armed with rubber bullets, the
prototype of the bullets found in the victims's bodies by the
military and the National Police.

The two came to suspect that the shooting was committed by a
third group that had thrown fierce criticism against the dual
function months before the special session.

"We found many sickles, sharp bamboo sticks, and stones and
some of the demonstrators threw Molotov cocktail bombs at
security personnel. Someone even asked me through a cellular
phone to withdraw security personnel to allow demonstrators to
reach the House," Nugroho said, adding no students had used
violence in the demonstrations.

Nugroho declined to reveal the person who contacted him,
saying he would only do so in court.

Djadja concurred and said that according to intelligence
information, the shooting had something to do with a certain
group who opposed the military's dual function.

"The special committee should further analyze the intelligence
data and we are ready to provide other information needed to
reveal the mystery behind the shooting," he said.

Only 14 of the 50 members of the special committee attended
the hearing.(rms)