Police to abide by summons on rights abuse

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Unlike the resistant Indonesian Military (TNI), police displayed some gesture of compliance with the law on Monday when one of four officers scheduled to attend a human rights hearing actually showed up.

Former deputy chief of the South Jakarta Police, Adj. Comr. Zulkarnain was grilled by the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) probing the Trisakti and Semanggi incidents in 1998 and 1999.

Zulkarnain, currently the chief of police at the Ogan-Komering Ilir precinct police in South Sumatra, clarified his role as the deputy chief for the security task force during the Semanggi I incident in November 1998.

He was the only one of four police officers scheduled to appear on Monday who attended.

One of the inquiry team, Munarman, said Zulkarnaen was ordered by the South Sumatra police to comply with the summons although the National Police had yet to give its approval.

"It's not clear what the National Police's stance is, but today it showed concern to reveal human rights cases based on the law and justice... a stance that is different from the TNI," Munarman told reporters.

Another inquiry member Dadan Umar Daihani added that former National Police chief Gen. (ret) Roesmanhadi had also expressed a willingness to abide by the inquiry.

Roesmanhadi failed to turn up last Thursday because the summons did not reach him, Dadan said.

"Roesmanhadi asked us to send the summons straight to him instead of the (National Police) headquarters," Dadan revealed.

The inquiry was established by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to probe alleged crimes against humanity committed during the incidents.

Dozens were killed in the bloodshed which followed clashes between student protesters and security troops.

Article 19 of Law No. 26/2000 on human rights tribunal stipulates that the inquiry is entitled to summon witnesses for questioning, while article 95 of Law No. 39/1999 on human rights says the National Commission on Human Rights is able to exercise its subpoena right to force witnesses to appear for questioning.

The inquiry has summoned 19 army and police officials to appear for the questioning, scheduled until Wednesday this week, despite repeated resistance from the TNI's top officials.

The TNI has insisted that the inquiry for the incidents was unnecessary because the House of Representatives had found that no gross human rights abuses had been committed during the incidents.

Inquiry head Albert Hasibuan said that he expected a meeting with Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan later this week to discuss how the inquiry could exercise its subpoena rights should the TNI maintain its stance.

Also during Monday's hearing, students claiming to represent the 1998 Exponents group demanded their involvement in the inquiry due to its role in the three demonstrations.