Release of political detainees exploited: ABRI

Release of political detainees exploited: ABRI

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) claim that communists
are trying to use the release last August of well-known political
detainees to make a comeback in the Indonesian political scene.

Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to ABRI chief of social and
political affairs, said in Surabaya on Saturday that there are
indications that communists have been very active since the
detainees' release.

The communists have been twisting historical facts and trying
to set one group against the other, he said after attending an
anniversary celebration of the Airlangga University.

"People should not be fooled into believing in their
propaganda, aimed at making the people and the government
suspicious of one another," Syarwan said, as quoted by Antara.

In August, in connection with Indonesia's 50th anniversary
celebrations, President Soeharto extended clemency to three
prominent political detainees, Soebandrio, Raden Soegeng Soetarto
and Omar Dhani, on humanitarian grounds.

Former deputy prime minister Soebandrio, former Air Force
commander Omar Dhani and former police intelligence chief
Soetarto were convicted in connection with the 1965 attempted
coup, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Senior ABRI leaders, including Armed Forces Commander Gen.
Feisal Tanjung, publicly supported President Soeharto's move,
which was also hailed from various other groups in society.

On Saturday Syarwan reiterated ABRI's stand that the
government has no intention of scaring people or being suspicious
of them with its repeated warnings about the latent danger of
communism and the "formless organizations" it says are
campaigning to undermine the government.

"We want to remind the public that communists, with their
peculiar tactics, are there among us," he said.

On Friday, chief of the Brawijaya East Java military command,
Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, announced that the authorities in various
areas in the province had confiscated objects which supported the
government's warnings that communists are trying to make a
comeback.

Drawing

In Mojokerto, Imam said, the authorities seized a hammer-and-
sickle drawing from a student in March, while in Situbondo, they
confiscated a kite bearing the communist symbol.

Provocative graffiti was also found on the walls of a junior
high school in Malang in March. It read "The PKI is okay, son,"
"The PKI is okay, daughter" and "The PKI is okay, buddy,"
according to Utomo.

In the communists' most recent operation, on Oct. 10, Utomo
said, a villager in Nganjuk painted the communist symbol on the
roof of his house. He added that, earlier this month, the
authorities seized leaflets designed to provoke anti-government
sentiment in Blitar.

Syarwan, who is a former ABRI spokesman, said the government
is well aware that the widening gap between rich and poor is the
root cause of the various recent cases of violence in many parts
of Indonesia.

He said the brutal rape of the Acan family and the tragic
murder of Rohadi family in Jakarta as well as the rioting in
quake-hit Jambi could be the work of people wanting to create
negative image of Indonesia.

"It is difficult and needs time to overcome the problem of
economic and social gaps. But I think we can begin with
vigilance," he said.

He called on the public to use institutions like the
legislative councils in their respective areas to make their
complaints, rather than holding street demonstrations.

Demonstrations are example of activities which are easily used
by irresponsible people for their personal ends, he added. (pan)