National figures to testify in May riots inquiry

Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Four national figures -- Abdurrahman Wahid, Nurcholish Madjid, Adnan Buyung Nasution, and Salim Said -- will testify before an inquiry of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigating the 1998 May riots.

Inquiry chairman Salahuddin Wahid said on Friday that his team would hear an explanation from the four about the political situation at the time of the riots.

"We believe the May riots were sparked by political rivalries. We want to hear an explanation from them," Salahuddin told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Abdurrahman and Nurcholish were among the national leaders summoned by then president Soeharto before the latter stepped down on May 21, 1998.

Buyung is a lawyer and Salim Said an observer of political and military affairs.

The inquiry anticipates that the national figures will be able to throw light on the political rivalry at that time so that the team could make a strong conclusion.

The team believes that the massive riot in 1998 was planned. However, his team has not been able to identify the mastermind of the riots which claimed more than 1,200 lives, said Salahuddin.

In the two-day nightmare -- which followed the shooting of four Trisakti University students who were taking part in a nationwide rally to demand the resignation of authoritarian ruler Soeharto -- hundreds of shops, shopping centers and homes were looted and set ablaze.

No state security officers were around to prevent the crimes, except for those hired by business owners to guard their assets before the rampage even started. This peculiar fact strengthened the suspicions of many that the riots were part of a conspiracy among those in power to quash the people's movement.

The nine-member inquiry is now working to finish its investigative report and will then hand over the report to the Attorney General's Office for further action.

Asked whether the report would be better than the previous report made by the Komnas HAM, Salahuddin admitted that he had not read the report yet.

"But, of course, we strive to do our best," said Salahuddin who is also Komnas HAM deputy chairman.

He said Nurcholish and Buyung had agreed to testify before the inquiry.

Earlier, the inquiry subpoenaed dozens of retired and active military and police officers. But, the military and police officers did not answer the summons.

Komnas HAM has given the team six months, from March to September this year, to finish its investigation.

After the investigation the team will conclude whether or not gross human rights violations had been committed during the riots.

Salahuddin said that he was not sure whether the inquiry had gained public support.

Only rights activists, riot victims and their relatives were concerned with efforts to unravel the May riots, asserted Salahuddin.