Police to abide by summons on rights abuse

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.