Officers questioned over July 27 incident

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police chief has questioned three generals and two colonels in connection with the investigation into the July 27, 1996 bloody takeover of the Indonesia Democratic Party (PDI), an officer said on Tuesday.

Col. Saleh Saaf of the National Police information department identified the high-ranking officers as former National Police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo, former Central Jakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Aboebakar Nataprawira, former Jakarta Police chief, Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata, former chief of the city police operational control Col. John Lallo and former city police chief of detectives Col. Paimin.

"The police questioned Pak Dibyo today (Tuesday). The rest were questioned a few days earlier. We asked them among other things, the procedures used to investigate the 27 July 1996 incident," Saleh said.

"I can't give you the results of the questioning, but we have found clues to solving this case."

Aboebakar is currently deputy chief of the National Police Staff and Leadership School (Sespim), while Hamami is the current governor of the Police Academy.

As reported earlier, city police chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi said that police detectives are hastily questioning related witnesses in an attempt to complete the investigation into the bloody takeover within the three-month deadline set by National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo.

"We are questioning dozens of people who were directly involved in the massive unrest that followed the takeover, and bystanders as well," Nurfaizi said.

The unrest following the party headquarters takeover, left five people dead, 149 injured, and 23 people still missing. (ylt)