Military personnel face court-martial next week

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)