Legislators change stance on 1998-1999 shootings
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Victims of the shootings of students during antigovernment protests in 1998 and 1999 were given solace on Thursday as lawmakers agreed to recommend the reopening of investigations into the incidents.
All factions represented on the House of Representatives' Commission III on law and human rights decided at a meeting on Thursday that the legislature must revoke its previous political statement that the incidents, which took place amid mounting demands for sweeping reform, could not be classified as gross human rights violations.
The investigations into the Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II incidents by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) have been stalled for years, as the previous House issued a decree declaring that these cases did not involve serious human rights abuses.
The decree was fiercely criticized by human rights groups. A series of preliminary probes by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found that the incidents were indeed gross violations of human rights committed by government security forces.
Commission III said that based on a thorough review of the various documents and reports filed by Komnas HAM, it would seek the annulment of the decree.
"Based on our reviews, all Commission members have agreed that the decree should be reviewed. Reviewing it can only mean one thing, that is, the annulling of the decree. The process will be done through a House plenary session," Commission III deputy chairman Akil Mochtar said.
He said the recommendation would be forwarded to the House leadership as soon as possible in order to schedule a plenary session.
If the House actually endorses the annulment of the much- criticized decree, Akil said it would be up to Komnas HAM and the AGO to pursue further investigations into the incidents.
Legislator Panda Nababan shared Akil's view, saying that there would no longer be any excuses left for the AGO not to follow up on the Komnas HAM findings.
Once the AGO had finally completed the case files, the House would determine whether or not an ad hoc human rights tribunal should be set up to try the cases.
Four students from Trisakti University were shot and killed when demonstrating in front of their campus in Grogol, West Jakarta, on May 12, 1998, to demand reforms in the Soeharto administration and the military.
At least 16 more students were killed in a bloody clash between student demonstrators and troops at the Semanggi toll road off-ramp adjacent to Atmajaya University on Oct. 13, 1998, while 10 others were killed in another pro-democracy rally at the same place on Sept. 24, 1999.
Former senior officers of the Jakarta Police and the military have denied any responsibility, and claimed that they did not order their personnel to shoot the students.
Aside from the three incidents, Commission III also agreed to establish a special committee to look deeper into the gross human rights abuses that occurred during the May 1998 disturbances ahead of Soeharto's ouster. The mayhem led to the deaths of hundreds of people, widespread gang rapes and forced disappearances of activists.
Komnas HAM has set up a separate committee to investigate the events surrounding the May disturbances.