No rights violation found in riot

BANDUNG (JP): National Commission on Human Rights members announced yesterday that no evidence of rights violations was found in the authority's handling of the recent riot in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya.

The commission also praised the military because not one shot was fired as troops struggled to contain the spreading unrest that broke out Thursday over alleged police mistreatment of residents. According to the official account yesterday, the incident has left three people dead and scores of buildings damaged and burned.

Commission members Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsuddin, Albert Hasibuan and Charles Himawan met yesterday with the Siliwangi Military Commander May. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi. Charles noted the security officers' smooth handling of the catastrophe, citing how the foreign media tends to scrutinize violation of rights by the authorities but fails to notice how civilians are also potential rights violators.

The commission members are scheduled to inspect the riot's site today and release its report Thursday or Friday, after an internal plenary meeting.

Also today, Tayo is to holding meetings with local religious leaders and residents of Chinese descent that had been gravely affected by the riot.

The commander also noted that the official investigation has concluded that the riot did not occur spontaneously and had no direct links with the local Islamic pesantren (boarding schools).

Earlier reports said that the riot broke out after thousands of students of the pesantren protested alleged police abuse against their teachers. Somewhere along the line, the gathering in front of a police station turned into racialist and sectarian violence, as it was people of the Chinese descent and their properties that became the targets of the mass.

"The riot was instigated by certain groups," Tayo said, but refused to specify.

Antara reported Saturday that Tasikmalaya Regent Suljana WH said the violence has left 13 places of worship, 89 shops, 12 police stations, four factories, four schools, six banks and three hotels either damaged or burned.

Suljana vowed that the administration would help rebuild the churches and places of worship.

Informed sources said that the number of casualties rose to four on Saturday with the discovery of another body in a gutted church.

One of the three victims already identified was a woman of Chinese descent, Giok Ie Wie, 45, whose charred body was found in the rubble of her leather shop on Jalan H. Zaenal Mustofa.

Antara reported that Sipek, a 45-year-old bakery owner, had a heart attack when his store was attacked by a mob.

A 25-year-old man, Ibing, died when he fell from a hijacked minicab (public transportation minivan) being used by rioters. Antara also said that 15 people were injured, eight of whom were still in Tasikmalaya's main hospital.

Authorities in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya have estimated that the riot has caused more than Rp 50 billion (US$21 million) in damages, Kompas daily said Sunday.

Lt. Col. Herman Ibrahim, chief spokesman of the Siliwangi Military Command, said that there are now two main culprits suspected to have instigated the riot.

More recent data attained by The Jakarta Post recorded that 87 more suspects are to be questioned from the 186 initially captured. 50 people are being held at the Tasikmalaya military command, 21 at the Tasikmalaya police precinct and 16 at the Ciamis police precinct.

"The rest would be released," Herman said.

On Friday, Hasan Basri, the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, blamed the riot on a "formless organization" possibly linked to the long-banned Indonesian Communist Party.

However, Abdurrachman Wahid, head of Indonesia's largest Islamic group, the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), was quoted by Kompas Sunday as saying he had not yet seen evidence of the rioting being "engineered" by certain groups.

He also said that only three NU members were involved in the riot, playing only minute roles, namely throwing stones.

Abdurrachman said the incidence is a reflection of the decline of public trust for the government. (21/06)