Kostrad meeting was 'not secret'

JAKARTA (JP): Noted businessman Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo claimed on Wednesday that there was nothing secret about the meeting held at the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) headquarters on May 14, saying it was a "very normal meeting among friends".

The younger brother of the then Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto flatly dismissed the findings of the joint fact-finding team, which on Tuesday recommended that the government should conduct a further investigation of the meeting to reveal and ascertain the role played by Prabowo and other parties in the process which precipitated the deadly riots.

"There was nothing secret about the meeting. It was a very open meeting and was not held on the initiative of General Prabowo," Hashim, who also attended the meeting, told a packed media conference at his office.

The meeting was held on the initiative of noted human rights lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, businessman Setiawan Djody and "others", Hashim said.

Hashim was speaking on behalf of Prabowo, whom he said was still in Europe for private matters and to have a periodic medical examination.

During the press conference, Hashim was accompanied by Fadli Zon, a Moslem activist close to Prabowo, and businessman Farid Prawiranegara, both who also attended the May 14 meeting.

"They wanted to express their concern about the deteriorating situation in the country to General Prabowo," Hashim said, adding that 15 to 25 people had attended the meeting.

Those present included the former chief of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Maj. Gen. Muchdi P.R., noted poet W.S. Rendra, Fahmi Idris, who is now manpower minister, Maj. Gen. Kivlan Zen, the director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Bambang Widjojanto and lawyer Ruhut Sitompul.

"I happened to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. Prabowo was not there because he was still surveying the city in an armored car with (the then Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen.) Sjafrie and other generals. He came back at around 6:30 p.m., a few minutes after evening prayers. I was there because I wanted to chat with my brother.

"The meeting started at seven, after all present had watched Wiranto giving a press statement on the latest developments in the situation," Hashim said, adding that the meeting lasted almost 90 minutes.

Hashim said that a number of issues were discussed during the meeting and that Buyung and his "friends" had criticized the government for allowing the situation to get out of hand.

"During the meeting, some people also asked about the (Trisakti) shooting and Prabowo said that he was prepared to swear under oath and on the holy Koran... that he was not involved in and did not order the shootings," Hashim said.

Bambang, however, told The Jakarta Post earlier in the afternoon that more than one meeting had taken place on May 14.

"There was a series of other meetings," Bambang said without elaborating.

Hashim said that as far as he was concerned, Prabowo had taken part in no further meetings on May 14.

Bambang said that Prabowo had also denied his involvement in the abduction of political activists during the meeting.

Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto dismissed Prabowo from the military in August and removed Muchdi and another Kopassus officer, Col. Chairawan, from active duty for their involvement in the abduction and torture of political activists.

Hashim also flatly denied allegations that Prabowo played a role in orchestrating the May riots, saying that the suggestion stemmed from a "systematic campaign to discredit" his brother. (byg/prb)