Pressure mounts to reopen 1984 Priok riot file
Pressure mounts to reopen 1984 Priok riot file
JAKARTA (JP): The government, facing mounting pressure to
reopen an investigation into a bloody riot in Jakarta's Tanjung
Priok port district 12 years ago, did not rule out the
possibility of doing so yesterday, but at the same time appealed
for patience.
Minister of Defense and Security Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat
said the government still has its hands full with the current
investigation of the July 27 riot.
"It will be some time before the government could attend to
the requests to reopen the investigation because the state has
many other problems to take care of," Edi told reporters when
asked to comment on the growing demand to reopen the Tanjung
Priok file.
Speaking to reporters after a hearing with the House of
Representatives, Edi said the government would be prepared to
reopen the investigation, if it is considered necessary.
"Just be patient," he said.
The Armed Forces (ABRI) meanwhile considers the case closed
saying that those responsible had been tried and convicted.
"We have not closed our eyes to the problem. But we have other
problems that we should solve first," the chief of Sociopolitical
Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said Wednesday.
The National Commission on Human Rights has received requests
from various organizations and public leaders urging it to
reinvestigate the Tanjung Priok incident. Many of these
organizations say the government's account of the incident,
particularly the official death toll, was far from satisfactory.
The requests have been encouraged by the Commission's bold
report on the July 27 riot which differed greatly from the
government version. The government has since challenged the
Commission to come up with evidence to support its claim that 74
people are missing following the unrest in Central Jakarta six
weeks ago.
Commission Secretary-General Baharuddin Lopa has stated that
because of its tight schedule, the Tanjung Priok affair could
only be discussed in December.
According to the official version, on Sept. 12, 1984, soldiers
opened fire against machete-wielding protesters who went wild
after hearing anti-government sermons from Moslem preachers at a
mosque.
The ABRI chief at the time, Gen. L.B. Moerdani, first said
nine were killed, but a month later he revised the figure to 18.
Even then, many people were not convinced, but their demands
for an independent investigation went unheeded.
Moerdani has now retired from public office.
Dozens of people were subsequently imprisoned for their
involvement in the unrest.
The National Commission on Human Rights was only established
in 1993. Since then, it has launched investigations into similar
incidents, the last one being the July 27 riot. On occasions its
findings have contradicted the government's versions of events.
Yesterday, around 200 people gathered at the Al-A`raaf Mosque
in Tanjung Priok to mark the 12th anniversary of the tragic
incident. Among those who took part in the prayer and Koranic
reading were wives and children of those who are still missing
from the riot.
Arief Biki, an elder brother of Amir Biki, the Moslem preacher
who was killed in the riot, has organized the meeting every year.
On behalf of the relatives of the victims, Arief urged the
National Commission on Human Rights to reopen the investigation.
When asked to give his own estimate of the death toll, Arief
said: "A lot. But don't force me to give an exact number."
He said he places a lot of hope on the Commission to "uncover
the truth" and plans to submit documents to the commission to
help with the investigation. (16/imn)
Related photo on Page 2