Military and police resists probe into May riots

Military and police resists probe into May riots

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Investigation into human rights violations during May 1998 riots
has met with strong resistance from military and police officers
allegedly involved in the incident.

Only police officer Sr. Comr. Arthur Damanik has so far
complied with the summons issued by the National Commission on
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) ad hoc team for the riots. The team has
worked for months to prove possible rights violations during the
rampage.

Arthur is a former official with the Jakarta Police
headquarters and is currently the deputy chief of East Nusa
Tenggara Police. He visited the commission on Tuesday.

Secretary of the team, Esther Indahyani Jusuf, said summonses
had been issued to 24 officers.

"The officers were summoned to clarify why there were only a
few security officers, either police or military, in most parts
of the city where the riots occurred and why the officers failed
to prevent the riots," said Esther.

The team will send the second and third summons for the 16
officers, including former TNI Chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto, TNI
spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, former commander of the
Army's Strategic Command Reserve (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo
Subianto , former Army chief Gen. (ret) Subagyo HS and Lt. Gen.
Sudi Silalahi, assistant to the coordinating minister for
political and security affairs.

"We expect them to show their goodwill to help solve this
case. If they refuse to answer the summons, we will take further
steps such as asking a district court to force them to respond,"
she said.

The military's lawyers have already declared that none of the
officers would appear "without proper legal basis".

The team has questioned as many as 57 eye witnesses and
victims of the riots as well as members of the then joint fact-
finding team (TGPF), which was formed to probe the incident
during the administration of former president B.J. Habibie.

Indah said that TGPF had agreed that their findings could be
used as evidence in court.

The victims have been waiting for justice as no one has been
declared a suspect nor been held responsible for the tragedy,
which occurred on May 13 and May 14, 1998.

Hundreds of people died and hundreds of shops, shopping
centers and homes were looted and set ablaze during the rampage,
which preceded the fall of former president Soeharto.

No security officers were around to prevent the crimes, except
for those hired by business owners to guard their assets before
the rampage broke out.