No progress made in probe of bloody Semanggi incident

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) admitted on Monday to no progress in its three-month-old investigation into the fatal shooting of protesters at the Semanggi cloverleaf in Central Jakarta last Nov. 13

Maj. Gen. Djasri M., chief of the Armed Forces' Military Police, said his team investigating the incident -- in which 14 were killed, 195 hospitalized and 239 treated for minor injuries -- was unable to determine who opened fire on the demonstrators.

"We have worked very hard, given our best efforts, and still we must say that no progress has been made," he told reporters at his Jl. Merdeka Timur office in Central Jakarta.

He spoke of difficulties in questioning the many security personnel, youths and student demonstrators involved in the incident.

He said 126 of more than 380 security personnel, six students and eight youths were questioned, but none gave definitive answers on who was responsible for the shooting.

Djasri said his team also checked about 900 guns used by security personnel deployed at the cloverleaf, but none matched bullets in the shooting.

He said a ballistic test was performed on a bullet and several projectiles taken as evidence from the incident site, but again no match was found with bullets used by security personnel. Tests were conducted at the National Police's forensic laboratory.

"This is an indication that the shooting was not committed by (our) security personnel," he said.

The bullet was removed from the body of A. Rinanto, a security guard who worked in Depok, while projectiles were collected from the compound of private Atma Jaya University near the site of the shootings.

Djasri refused to speculate if the shooting was committed by secret snipers, armed civilian groups or military secret service, which some people contend.

The shooting occurred when thousands of students, staging demonstrations at the university to protest the People's Consultative Assembly's Special Session from Nov. 10 to Nov. 13, clashed with security personnel after they were blocked from proceeding to the legislature's compound in Senayan, about 300 meters west of the cloverleaf.

The two-star Army general said his team on several occasions contacted faculty of Atma Jaya University and relatives of several of the dead, but no information was forthcoming to shed light on the case.

He said the investigation continued.

"We'd appreciate anyone who can give information about the shooting and (provide) suggestions for the investigation."

Asked to comment on possible adverse reactions to the team's probe coming up empty-handed, Djasri said the public should be realistic and accept the military's own limitations.

"We are very sorry because we have also encountered obstacles in carrying out the investigation. But it remains our moral responsibility to investigate the case thoroughly." (rms)