No more questions on May gang rapes

No more questions on May gang rapes

From Sinar Pagi

After a long and arduous investigation fraught with the pros
and cons over whether gang rapes were committed in the mid-May
riot, finally on Nov. 3, 1998, the independent joint fact-finding
team made an official statement that this barbarian act did
occur.

Long before this statement was made, a group of people had
trickily attempted to blur the effort to probe the gang rapes.
They had systematically tried to make a distinction between
rioting, looting and gang rape. Regrettably, several government
officials did make public statements to the effect that the gang
rapes were only a figment of someone's imagination. These
statements -- obviously an attempt to shape public opinion that
rapes were never been committed -- were indeed very stupid
considering that the joint fact-finding team was officially set
up to find out whether the rapes occurred.

How could non-governmental organizations, on the one hand,
discover gang rape victims while other relevant government
agencies failed to find any? Doesn't it simply show that they
really did not know how to do things properly? Again, I regret
that some government officials made very thoughtless statements
on this gang rape matter. Not only are such statements out of
proportion, but they also tend to find a scapegoat. They are
nothing less than the New Order's usual way of silencing truth.
Besides, they also reflect a lack of seriousness in handling a
case.

Therefore, allow me to suggest that government officials who
have stated that there are no gang rapes should resign. The same
goes for those who threatened to take non-governmental
organizations to court for disseminating false reports that the
gang rapes did occur.

Finally, allow me to call on the government to thoroughly
uncover the network of perpetrators of highly organized and
systematic gang rape. Otherwise it may be safely assumed that the
government legally condones this barbarian way to pursue a
political interest. To members of the joint fact-finding team,
allow me to express my deep gratitude for their success in
proving that gang rapes in the mid-May riots did occur.

R. HERDANDY SUHERMAN

Jakarta