Military top brass to face summons over abductions

Military top brass to face summons over abductions

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After years of diminishing hope and frustration, the National
Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on Thursday it was
set to question several military and police top brass over the
abduction of pro-democracy activists ahead of former president
Soeharto's fall in 1998.

A team set up by the commission has summoned active and
retired members of the two forces, including Gen. (ret) Wiranto,
Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, and Ministry of Defense
secretary-general Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, to appear for
questioning.

Team head Ruswiati Suryasaputra said that so far only Wiranto,
scheduled to be questioned on June 10, has confirmed his
attendance.

However, Prabowo and Sjafrie, who were summoned to show up on
Friday, had yet to respond as of Thursday.

The three officers held key positions within the military
during the 1997-1998 period, when dozens of pro-democracy
activists were abducted ahead of Soeharto's fall that was
preceded by mass riots in Jakarta in May 1998.

Wiranto served as Army chief and subsequently as Indonesian
Armed Forces (ABRI) commander. Prabowo served as chief of the
Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) before being promoted as chief
of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), while Sjafrie
was a Kopassus member.

Formed in January, the team was compiling data, information
and facts regarding the abductions, before determining whether or
not gross human rights violations had occurred. The team's tenure
expires on July 20.

Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives'
Commission III on legal affairs, Ruswiati said the team has so
far gathered information and testimony from victims of abduction
as well as relatives and families of missing persons.

She said the three military officials, who are among the 12
military and police personnel on the questioning list, were
summoned based on testimony given by victims who managed to
either escape or who were released, and also documents from the
trials of Mawar (Rose) team members.

Members of the Mawar team, part of the Kopassus' antiterror
squad led by Col. Khairawan, were brought to a military court in
1999 after the kidnapping cases of activists were revealed.

The head of the Mawar team, Maj. Gen. Bambang Kristiono, and
all the team members, claimed the kidnappings were undertaken at
the team's own initiative. All team members received prison
terms, while Bambang was dismissed from the Army.

She said her team has sent a letter to TNI chief Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto asking him to permit active officials to be
summoned, but said that as yet no response had been received.

"We may issue second summonses. If they still refuse to
appear, then we'll issue a subpoena against them as we have the
right to do this under Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights," she
said.

The House's Commission III chairman, Akil Mochtar, said he was
demanding that Endriartono provide full access so that the team
could properly investigate the kidnapping cases and to allow
reconstructions based on the information gathered from all
witnesses.