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.