Prabowo's rejection of riot probe result 'no problem'

Prabowo's rejection of riot probe result 'no problem'

JAKARTA (JP): A member of the team which investigated riots
that rocked the capital in May was unfazed by a rejection by
former Army Special Force (Kopassus) commander Lt. Gen. (ret)
Prabowo Subianto of his alleged involvement in the riots.

The Joint Fact-finding Team's Bambang W. Suharto said on
Wednesday, "It does not matter if Prabowo rejects the reports,"
reported Antara news agency.

Bambang said that because the team had handed over its
findings on the riots to the government last month, it was now
the government's task to follow up the results of the
investigation.

Bambang, also a member of the National Commission on Human
Rights, said the team had worked hard to collect evidence and
facts regarding the tragedy.

"Let him (Prabowo) lodge his objections because it's his right
to do so," he said.

Prabowo sent a facsimile message from Jordan to the media
here, denying reports of the kingdom of Jordan conferring
honorary citizenship on him.

Prabowo added he was "disappointed and surprised" with the
findings of the team, to whom, he said, he had given lengthy
explanations on what he knew of the May riots.

"I am sure, the facts show that I struggled to calm the
situation. I'm an Indonesian patriot. I have vowed to give
priority to national interests..." Prabowo wrote.

"... I firmly reject the charges (of involvement in the
riots)."

In the report announced on Nov. 4, the team linked the riots
to an alleged conspiracy of various parties, including elements
within the military, which it said was seeking to create an
emergency situation justifying the invocation of
"extraconstitutional powers".

The team urged the government to investigate a certain meeting
at the headquarters of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command
between Prabowo and several civilians, "to reveal and ascertain
the role of Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto and other parties in the
whole process which precipitated the riots."

The team concluded that then Jakarta military commander Maj.
Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin should be held responsible for the
allegedly nonexistent security during the riots.

Preparation of the report was reportedly marked by dissent
among members, which consisted of representatives of the
military, the Police, the National Commission on Human Rights and
non-government organizations.

The government acknowledged recently the team's findings that
76 women were violated but said there were no indications of
organized crime as suggested by the team.

Antara also quoted an e-mail, which it said Prabowo sent to
the agency, stressing the responsibility of the Jakarta military
command for the city's security. The agency quoted Prabowo as
saying that his explanation repeated that which he gave to the
team.

"Even though I was a three-star general, I did not have the
right to order Pak Sjafrie," and only gave him frequent advice,
he said.

"This has been the Armed Forces system and it has prevailed
since I became a serviceman," he said.

He said that he knew nothing about the shooting of four
University of Trisakti students on May 12 because he was in Bogor
on that day.

He said he was informed about the incident only after Sjafrie
contacted him by telephone.

Separately, Satjipto Rahardjo, a law expert from the Semarang-
based University of Diponegoro, said that Prabowo, now in Jordan,
should be brought home to facilitate investigations on the
abduction of prodemocracy activists.

Antara reported he said in Semarang on Wednesday that
Prabowo's presence at home has become more urgent after President
B.J. Habibie ordered the relevant authorities early this week to
investigate whether the former chief of the Army's elite force
had a share in the abductions.

The Armed Forces' Military Police has yet to bring Prabowo to
the Military High Court for his involvement in the abduction
case. The trial began on Wednesday.

Prabowo, before the ABRI's honor council, admitted to having
abducted nine prodemocracy activists, which led to his retirement
from military service.

On the reports of the Jordan citizenship, Prabowo said he was
very grateful for the offer of citizenship, citing his closeness
to the family of King Hussein, but had turned the offer down
because Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship. On
Thursday, Antara quoted a statement from the Jordan embassy here
saying its interior ministry had no evidence that Prabowo had
been granted Jordanian citizenship. (rms)