Megawati loyalists want Feisal probed
JAKARTA (JP): Loyalists of ousted Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri urged the military police yesterday to question eight Armed Forces (ABRI) officers for their alleged role in the forcible takeover of party headquarters in July 1996.
Represented by Team of Defense Lawyers for Indonesian Democracy (TPDI), they filed their petition with the chief of the National Military Police Corps, Maj. Gen. Syamsu Djalal.
"I cannot respond to your request immediately as I still need to wait for and study the police report," Syamsu told the team. "After that, we'll need to coordinate with the police for investigation."
Syamsu also solicited further assistance, in the form of evidence or testimony, from the lawyers in the investigation.
Led by senior advocate Max Junus Lamuda, the team members said they wanted the military police to investigate then ABRI commander Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung for his alleged involvement in the takeover of PDI's headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro No. 58 in Central Jakarta on July 27, 1996.
Feisal, who is now coordinating minister for political affairs and security, has denied any involvement.
Other officials reported to the military police chief were former police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo, former ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, former city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata and former Jakarta military commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso.
Also mentioned in the petition were former Central Jakarta military commander Lt. Col. Zul Effendi, former Central Jakarta Police chief Col. Aboebakar Nataprawira and Maj. R. Sunaryo of the Jakarta Mobile Brigade.
The forcible takeover led to extended violence at the site and massive riots throughout Central Jakarta and neighboring East Jakarta. Five people were killed and another 23 are still recorded as missing.
Lamuda said the team members went to the military police because they had waited in vain for two years for the city police to respond to their request for investigation into the takeover.
Calls have grown for investigation into alleged involvement of government and ABRI officials in the incident.
"We have copies of Feisal Tanjung's statement that the government and ABRI would help Soerjadi take over the party headquarters from Megawati's supporters," Lamuda said.
Megawati was expelled from the party's head and replaced by Soerjadi in a government-backed congress a month before the takeover.
In a separate development yesterday, political observer Rudini called on the splintered PDI factions to settle their dispute through a "political approach".
"In politics, there are no lifelong enemies. Today I am an enemy of yours, but tomorrow I can be your friend," he told reporters during the lunch break of a seminar on the National Police in Bandung.
"Both Megawati and Soerjadi must compromise, and take a 'take- and-give' approach to settle the crisis.
"Should they prefer to go on with their legal battle, they must wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court," he said.
Rudini, former minister of home affairs, dismissed suggestions of having two PDI factions, called PDI I and PDI II, saying that it would be better for one faction to choose another name. (imn/43)