Probe on PDI HQs attack to take 3 months

Probe on PDI HQs attack to take 3 months

JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo vowed
on Tuesday that the police would take up to three months, to
complete an investigation into the July 27, 1996 bloody takeover
of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters.

"We have started the investigation and we hope to finish it in
three months," Rusdihardjo said in a hearing with the House of
Representatives Commission I for defense and security, foreign
affairs, information, and legal affairs.

The police, he said, were now collecting new evidence in
connection with the bloody incident at the party's headquarters
on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, on July 27, 1996. The
takeover was conducted by the party's splinter group led by
Soerjadi, which was backed by elements in the former Indonesian
Armed Forces (ABRI).

The takeover triggered the sympathy of residents throughout
the city, many becoming involved in massive unrest in support of
then party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The unrest resulted in the deaths of at least five people and
injury to 149 others. Meanwhile, 23 people caught in the midst of
the incident are still missing.

Rusdihardjo's statement was made in response to comments made
by legislator A. Effendy Choirie of the National Awakening Party
(PKB), who asked the police chief to give a deadline for
completion of the investigation.

"The police must be able resolve this case, and not follow the
steps of the former police chief, who only spoke and never showed
any results," Effendy told reporters after the hearing.

Separately, the National Police on Tuesday morning called a
closed meeting of National Police detectives and intelligence
officers, to decide which civilians and police officers would be
summoned.

The meeting was led by assistant to National Police chief for
intelligence affairs, Maj. Gen. Guntur Sumastopo.

"We should have the complete list by Wednesday latest. So far,
it includes the names of (former Central Jakarta police chief)
Col. Aboebakar Nataprawira, (former Jakarta Police chief) Maj.
Gen. Hamami Nata, (former National Police chief) Gen. Dibyo
Widodo and (former PDI secretary-general) Buttu R. Hutapea," Col.
Saleh Saaf of the National Police information department told The
Jakarta Post.

Saleh refused to comment on whether the list would include the
names of former city military commander, Governor Sutiyoso, a
retired lieutenant general who opted for civilian status, and
former ABRI chief of social and political affairs Lt. Syarwan
Hamid, who is a retired lieutenant general.

"We'll see later... let's not discuss them now," Saleh said.

Following the takeover, Megawati established the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and won last year's
General Elections with 34 percent of total votes.

The demand to reopen the 27 July case was triggered by
President Abdurrahman Wahid's statement on former minister of
defense and security/Indonesian Armed Forces commander Gen.
(ret.) Feisal Tanjung, whom he accused as the one responsible for
the takeover.

Earlier, Abdurrahman said that Feisal tried "to eliminate" him
as chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization, and
Megawati as the party chairwoman.

Feisal has denied the accusations, but admitted that TNI had
financed the PDI congress in Medan, North Sumatra, two months
before the takeover.

The 1996 government-sponsored PDI congress in the North
Sumatra capital of Medan named Soerjadi as the party's chairman,
replacing Megawati, who was said to be incapable of solving the
party's internal problems.

This led to the July 27 takeover of PDI headquarters, which
was still occupied by Megawati and her supporters.

Like the ongoing investigation of the 27 July incident,
legislator Effendy said that deadlines were also needed for
ongoing investigations into the murders of labor activist
Marsinah in Surabaya, East Java, and the Yogyakarta-based
journalist, Muhammad Syafruddin alias Udin. (ylt/jun)