More deaths suspected in Ciamis killing spree

More deaths suspected in Ciamis killing spree

JAKARTA (JP): The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims
of Violence (Kontras) disputed on Friday a police claim of 18
deaths in the West Java town of Ciamis, alleging that more than
50 people have been killed by hired assassins.

"Based on our own finding, 24 bodies have been found so far.
But we have identified some 50 names (of victims) reported by
locals. Only we haven't found the bodies yet," Kontras
coordinator Munir said.

Those 50 people went missing, or are believed to have been
killed over the past four months, he said. Several villagers had
admitted they witnessed the killings of five or six people, while
others claimed to have witnessed 12 murders in January alone, he
said.

Residents were too afraid to provide information to the
authorities, but told Kontras they believed their missing
relatives were murdered.

Kontras said many of the victims were killed by paid
assassins. Munir said the victims were those who allegedly
practiced black magic, performed abortions, those who were
"arrogant" and individuals who criticized former president
Soeharto.

In 1997, over 200 Muslim clerics in East Java's Banyuwangi
were killed on the grounds of black magic practice. The murders
remain unsolved.

Munir said further investigations were needed to ascertain the
number of deaths, given that many people said to be "targeted
victims" were now on the run or in hiding.

Dozens of frightened residents fled the area after the paid
killers -- who blatantly admitted their involvement and sometimes
killed in broad daylight -- publicly announced a list of targets
in meetings with locals last month, Munir said.

"According to the villagers, many of the victims were dragged
out of their houses and tortured and killed in front of their
families. The bodies were never buried, but were thrown from
hired trucks into the Ciwayang River which ends at Pangandaran
beach."

Security personnel said they were unable to control the
killings. Some of them even admitted being fearful of being
targets of the killing spree themselves.

Munir said it was believed the killers moved in groups,
numbering between 200 and 300 people.

In a meeting with Kontras last week, local authorities
admitted discovering bodies since last October, with residents
reporting the murders since January.

"We believe that security forces have tolerated the massacre,
as in some instances residents said security personnel witnessed
the incident but did nothing about it," Munir said.

Police have so far detained 42 people for questioning. They
are being held at Ciamis Police station, some 130 kilometers
southeast of here.

Kontras has interviewed six suspected murderers. Despite
confessing to the crimes, they were free to roam the villages.

"One of the self-confessed killers, only listed as a witness
by police, admitted on record to a Kontras activist to have
killed 100 people. He bragged about it and said police would not
dare to capture him and the other assassins," Munir said.

It was possible the six self-confessed killers provided
different testimonies to the police, so they were freed, he said.

"And this terrifies the residents. Imagine witnessing killers
roaming through your village, hunting for prospective victims.

"In fact, people recognized the killers' faces, as every day
there could be one to four killings in the villages."

Based on the commission findings, each killer was paid between
Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 per murder. Most of the killers were
unemployed or hoodlums from nearby villages.

Some of the villagers were forced to join the group, or else
they too would be killed, Munir said.

So far the commission had only located local involvement in
the hiring of the killers. However, it was possible the
masterminds were people from Jakarta, he said.

Kontras was scheduled to hold a meeting with the National
Police on Friday afternoon to request a serious investigation and
also to exchange information. (edt)