Military personnel face court-martial next week
JAKARTA (JP): Nineteen members of the Armed Forces (ABRI) will face a court-martial next week for their alleged involvement in the May 12 shootings at Trisakti University which left four student protesters dead, according to Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto.
"We will soon submit their dossiers to the Jakarta Military Tribunal and the case will be heard next week," Wiranto said after installing Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto as chief of ABRI's Staff and Command School here yesterday. Prabowo replaced Lt. Gen. Arie J. Kumaat, whose next assignment at the Armed Forces Headquarters has yet to be announced.
Wiranto did not give the exact date of the trial, but said the suspects had acted in an undisciplined manner and had gone "beyond proper limits", violating ABRI procedures.
He also said ABRI Headquarters was currently "consolidating" the results of its investigation with those conducted by the National of Commission on Human Rights, Jakarta Police Headquarters and Trisakti University.
ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan said the 19 included nine low- and middle-ranking officers, six noncommissioned officers and four privates.
Neither Wiranto nor Wahab were willing to release the names of the suspects and their units. Wahab told reporters to wait until the case was tried, citing that a presumption of innocence must be upheld.
Wahab also said the commanders of the West Jakarta Police and the West Jakarta Military District had recently been questioned.
Chief of the National Military Police Corps Maj. Gen. Syamsu Djalal said all of the suspects had been in military police custody since yesterday.
Scapegoat
National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo insisted that none of his men had used live ammunition during the incident.
He rejected allegations that his officers had violated standard procedures.
Security forces are required to use blanks or rubber bullets when confronting rioters or protesters. Live ammunition is to be used as a last resort.
"We have checked with every officer assigned there (in Trisakti, and found) that none of our men used live ammunition," he said after formally handing over the post of city police chief to Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman from Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata.
"I am saying this again: We used rubber bullets. That's the standard procedure in facing riots and crowds," he said.
Dibyo expressed relief over the National Commission on Human Rights' findings that the police did not use live ammunition in the shootings. The commission's report implied that other military units were instead involved in the shootings.
The National Police conducted its own investigation into the shootings, but had to submit the results to ABRI Headquarters first before it could go public with it.
"The police is part of the Armed Forces and therefore we have to submit the results to the Armed Forces Headquarters," he said.
"It's not comfortable always being the scapegoat," he said.
The Trisakti demonstration was handled by both police and military personnel. The death of the four students sent shockwaves across the country, triggering massive riots in Jakarta and other cities resulting in over 500 dead and Rp 2.5 trillion in material losses.
The rioting caused heightened social and political tension that finally forced then president Soeharto to resign and transfer his office to B.J. Habibie on May 21. (imn/edt)