Political link to killings comes under scrutiny

JAKARTA (JP): National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said on Wednesday that the Armed Forces (ABRI) has sent three teams to investigate the mass killings of Moslem preachers and alleged practitioners of witchcraft in East Java.

The three teams, from ABRI Headquarters, the National Police and the East Java Police Headquarters, have been assigned to investigate what Roesmanhadi believes to be politically-motivated murders.

"We are still investigating the political background to the (murders)," Roesmanhadi was quoted by Antara as saying after meeting with ulemas and other public figures in Surabaya, East Java.

Roesmanhadi disclosed last month that police would focus their investigation on members of the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). He asserted that the relatives of PKI members might well be seeking revenge for the massacre of communists that followed the aborted coup blamed on the party in 1965.

The slaughter, which has claimed nearly 200 lives, initially started in Banyuwangi, but later spread to nearby cities in the province and then into Central and West Java. At least 230 alleged killers have been detained in Banyuwangi alone.

Residents claim the killers are "ninjas" because they wear masks and dark clothing in the fashion of Japanese assassins. Local residents have retaliated by lynching just about anybody suspected of being involved in the killings.

Meanwhile, the weekly tabloid DeTAK in its 17th edition, issued this week, ran an interview with a former member of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).

The unidentified deserter claimed there is a center in Cikarang, West Java, which organizes the activities of former Kopassus soldiers.

He alleged that former Kopassus soldiers were also responsible for the killings in Banyuwangi as part of an abortive attempt to foil the congress held by a faction of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in Denpasar last month.

The deserter, who did not join the team, said the group decided to begin the murder spree after noting that the party faction had a very solid base of support.

"Intelligence personnel from Cikarang were sent to Banyuwangi ... They monitored the situation and plotted how to foil (the congress)," he told the tabloid.

The same group was also involved in the May riots, he alleged.

The massacre in East Java has attracted national and international attention. The Strait Times of Singapore carried the picture of a suspected "ninja killer" on its front page last week. The man was later murdered by an angry mob.

In Pati, Central Java, Gembong villagers mistakenly identified two insane men as "ninja killers" and beat them to death on Tuesday.

Pati police chief Lt. Col. Hernowo Santoso identified one of the victims as Aman from Rembang. The other victim has yet to be identified.

Last week two traders believed to be "ninjas" were killed in Bulumanis village, Central Java.

In Bogor, West Java, two ninjas attacked a Koranic teacher named Masturo in Bojonggede village while he was praying on Monday. He fought back at his two assailants and forced them to flee.

An anonymous caller on Saturday threatened to kill his family. He responded by sending his family away to safety. (har/24/prb)