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)