Priok witnesses make wild U-turns in testimony

Priok witnesses make wild U-turns in testimony

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two witnesses for the adhoc human rights trial of Col. Sutrisno
Mascung and 10 of his subordinates gave on Tuesday testimony
contradictory to his own previous statements regarding the
massacre in Tanjung Priok in 1984.

Sudarso bin Rais, the first witness, told the court that a
group of military soldiers confronting a crowd of demonstrators
on the night of the Sept. 12, 1984 in Tanjung Priok, North
Jakarta had twice fired warning shots -- once in the air, and
once to the ground.

At least 33 civilians were killed, according to an
investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
HAM).

Sudarso also said that several people in the crowd were
carrying some type of weapon that night.

In his previous statement for the dossier of the case, Sudarso
said the soldiers opened fired at the unarmed crowd without prior
warning shots.

Sudarso's inconsistency prompted the panel of judges to
question his testimony.

"So which statement is correct? Remember that you are
testifying under oath, and that there are legal consequences of
seven years of imprisonment for false testimony," said judge
Binsar Gultom.

"What I am telling now is the truth. What I said before in the
dossier was made during a time when I was still vengeful towards
the military," Sudarso explained.

Sudarso, who at the time of the incident was still in junior
high school, was shot in his left arm. He was immediately rushed
by local fire fighters to the Koja hospital in North Jakarta, but
was then forcefully transferred to the army's Gatot Subroto
hospital (RSPAD) in South Jakarta.

Tahir, the second witness, also said during the trial that the
crowd had weapons on the night of the incident.

He, however, could not verify whether the soldiers fired any
warning shots, as he only heard "a loud shout ordering the crowd
to back off, and then the shooting started."

Tahir's previous statement in the dossier of the case said
there were no weapons among the crowd.

He also said that during his previous trial in 1984 following
the incident, he denied that the weapons displayed as evidence
belonged to anyone in the crowd. Tahir, who was grazed by a
bullet on his neck, was in the end, sentenced to one year and six
months of imprisonment by that court for rioting.

"In your dossier, you said that the crowd had no weapons with
them. When you were tried in 1984, you also denied that the
weapons displayed in court were from anyone in the crowd. But now
you say that people in the crowd carried weapons?" questioned
Binsar.

Tahir was apparently unable to clearly answer Gultom's
question, but just replied that what he said during Tuesday's
trial was the truth.

Both Sudarso and Tahir attended the islah (Islamic
reconciliation agreement) on March 1, 2001 at the Sunda Kelapa
mosque in Central Jakarta held between victims and military
officers related to the incident.

They also received "compensation funds" from the Penerus
Bangsa Foundation (YPB), which was formed following the islah.

Presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro adjourned the trial until
Dec. 22 to hear testimonies from other witnesses.