Kostrad meeting was 'not secret'

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)