Kopassus commander facing the 1984 Tanjung Priok music

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Army Special Forces (Kopassus) Commander Maj. Gen. Sriyanto Muntrasan went on trial on Thursday for his alleged role in the bloody 1984 Tanjung Priok incident, making him the highest serving Army officer to be called to account for the bloodbath.

Prosecutors accused Sriyanto, 52, of crimes against humanity, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of death.

Chief prosecutor Darmono said the defendant ordered his troops to open fire on a crowd of Muslim protesters assembled near Tandjung Priok port in North Jakarta without first firing warning shots.

According to the indictment, Sriyanto, who at the time was a captain heading the North Jakarta military district's operational unit, received a phone call from Amir Biki -- a local Muslim activist -- demanding that the military free four of his followers who were in police custody, otherwise "a massive riot would sweep across North Jakarta."

"And as the angry protesters gathered outside Tanjung Priok port, the defendant shouted at the crowd: Disperse or we will shoot you," Darmono said, adding that the defendant, who at the time was a field officer, failed to prevent his men from committing gross human rights violations.

"Up to 23, and not less than 10, civilians were killed. The shooting continued even after the protesters attempted to flee the scene," Darmono told the court, which is presided over by Judge Herman Heller Hutapea.

In what could be construed as a show of strength, hundreds of Kopassus soldiers had packed into the courtroom. Also attending the trial were several high-ranking military officers, including Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, the TNI's chief of general affairs, and TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

Thirteen other officers and soldiers have been charged with similar offenses. However, L.B. Moerdani and Try Sutrisno, then the Indonesian military commander and Jakarta military chief respectively, have not been charged.

The Tanjung Priok killings were reportedly triggered by a soldier who entered a Muslim prayer house near the port of Tanjung Priok on Sept. 7, 1984, without taking off his boots, an act regarded as tantamount to the desecration of a Muslim holy place.

He entered the prayer house to tear down posters considered by the government as extremist in nature, but he did not take off his boots, an act regarded to be tantamount to desecration in a Muslim holy place.

Witnesses alleged that the soldier smeared gutter water on the walls as well. An outraged group of people then burnt the soldier's motorcycle. Four people, including the administrator of the prayer house, were arrested.

Five days later, Biki led some 1,500 fellow civilians on a march to the nearby police station to pressure on the authorities to free the four detainees.

Eyewitnesses said soldiers opened fire, killing scores of protesters, including Biki. Many other demonstrators were detained and allegedly tortured in connection with the demonstration.

There is conflicting information on the number of victims in the incident. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has put the death toll at 33, while the military authorities say only nine people were killed. The families of the victims, however, claim that almost 400 protesters were killed during the incident.

"I understand the charges but I reject all of them," Sriyanto, who was dressed in full military uniform, told the hearing.