Rallies held to mark anniversary of attack on PDI HQs

Rallies held to mark anniversary of attack on PDI HQs

JAKARTA (JP): One overriding theme, namely the bringing of
former president Soeharto to justice, marked the fourth
anniversary of the July 27 violent takeover of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters nationwide on Thursday.

In Jakarta, some 600 people joined a rally from the abandoned
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro
to Jl. Teuku Umar and then on to the Jakarta office of Golkar
Party near the Cikini railway station, all in Central Jakarta.

"Arrest and bring the masterminds of the July 27 tragedy to
court ... rehabilitate the victims," an activist of the
Communication Forum for Relatives of the July 27, 1996 Victims
yelled.

Initially, the rally participants laid a wreath in front of
the PDI headquarters before they headed to Jl. Cendana, where
former president Soeharto resides. They, however, were blocked by
a cordon of police personnel and were directed to nearby Jl.
Teuku Umar.

Speeches and banners marked the rally on Thursday. The rally
also saw a street play on former president Soeharto's 32-year
reign, poetry reading and dance performances.

The July 1996 attack on PDI headquarters triggered mass unrest
throughout the Central Jakarta area on the same day, leaving at
least five people dead and 149 injured. Twenty-three others are
reportedly still missing.

The police's investigation has named 11 civilians as suspects
in the 1996 attack, including former PDI chairman Soerjadi and
former secretary-general Buttu R. Hutapea.

Meanwhile, the military investigation into several Indonesian
Military (TNI) generals' alleged involvement in the attack is
ongoing.

In Yogyakarta, around 100 activists of the Committee for the
People's Struggle for Democracy (Koperdam), staged similar
protests along popular street Jl. Malioboro.

They were attacked by unidentified people while staging their
protest, leaving at least 11 of the protesters injured.

The protesters were on their way to Yogyakarta City Hall, when
suddenly a group of armed men riding on a jeep and four
motorbikes attacked them from behind.

"We were terrified as the group suddenly set upon us with
wooden sticks and iron bars," said a protester who asked not to
be named, while adding that some of the attackers were seen
talking to police officers shortly before the assault.

"I wonder why the police did nothing to prevent the armed
group from attacking us," he said.

The group identified the attackers' vehicle as a white Jeep
Willis with registration number AB 7819 HA.

The motives behind the attack were still unclear, and the
protesters eventually dispersed soon after the attack.

The group said in their statement that they demanded the
government prioritize the handling of human rights' abuse cases
and the liquidation of the Golkar Party.

Before the attack, the protesters also burned Golkar flags.

In Semarang, about 500 PDI Perjuangan supporters, grouped in
the Anti-New Order People's Alliance (Arab), marched along main
streets in the city, including Jl. Tentara Pelajar, Jl. Mataram,
Jl. Ahmad Yani and the Simpang Lima traffic circle before they
ended up in the grounds fronting the Central Java Provincial
Legislature and the Central Java Police Headquarters building on
Jl. Pahlawan.

In front of the police headquarters, about 50 PDI Perjuangan
cadres presented an oration demanding that the authorities
uncover the perpetrators of the 1996 hostile take over.

"We also demand that the government rehabilitate the status
and reputations of the victims in the July 27 incident," Gin
Dahono, the group coordinator, said.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, 100 students from various
universities here marked the day by staging protests in front of
the Council Building, demanding that former president Soeharto be
held responsible for his past wrongdoings and blatant human right
violations.

"Soeharto was the pivot around which all kinds of abuses
revolved during the New Order era. It is lamentable that
President Abdurrahman's administration has failed to bring the
real culprits in the July 27 incident to trial," Heince Ivan, the
group leader, said. (07/27/44/har/edt)