Rehabilitation, restoration of rights sought for victims of New Order regime

Rehabilitation, restoration of rights sought for victims of New Order regime

JAKARTA (JP): The National Committee of the 1965 Human Tragedy
called on the government to speed up the process for
rehabilitating civil and political rights of the political
victims during the New Order regime's 32-year rule.

The Committee's coordinator Gustaf Dupe said on Wednesday that
it demanded the government issue a presidential decree or
government regulation about the rehabilitation.

"We also demand an issuance of the decree or regulation to
restore the citizenship of self-exiled Indonesian people who live
abroad," he told reporters before a meeting with Minister of
Justice and Human Rights Baharuddin Lopa.

"We talked about this matter with Pak Lopa's predecessor
Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Therefore we asked Pak Lopa to speed up the
concrete steps," he added.

According to Dupe, the committee is calling for a speeding up
of disclosure of the events surrounding the abortive coup of
Sept. 30, 1965 by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Thousands of communist activists and their relatives were
slaughtered afterwards.

A lot of people suspected of having close links to the still
banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) were also jailed without
trial.

Many, who were included in the blacklist, flew to foreign
countries.

Many of the prisoners were freed by President Habibie, and
this process was completed by President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Abdurrahman has also permitted those self-exiled people to
return to this country.

"However, the rights of the ex-prisoners and self-exiled
people have yet to be rehabilitated. We also asked for
compensation and restitution for the victims," Dupe said.

The step, he added, is important for national reconciliation
so that our country can be freed from its past.(hdn)