Retired Army generals face questioning over 1996 case

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police announced plans on Thursday to summon three retired Army generals for questioning in connection with the violence that followed the forcible takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) office in 1996.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang Garnida said the police would summon former Armed Forces chief Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung, former Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Syarwan Hamid and former Jakarta Military commander Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, who is the current Jakarta governor.

Dadang said the police would question the three retired military officers as witnesses due to their positions at the time of the incident. The questioning is scheduled to take place on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

If the questioning reveals the retired generals played a role in the bloodshed, their cases will be submitted to Military Police Headquarters, he said.

"The three might be civilians now, but they were Army generals during the incident. Therefore, if they turn out to be suspects further investigation will be carried out by the Military Police," Dadang said.

According to regulations, a summons must be sent at least four days prior to questioning.

"The questioning of the former generals depends on how much longer it take detectives to question (former PDI chairman) Soerjadi. If they need to question him further, then the questioning of the Army generals might be postponed. But the former generals will certainly be questioned," Dadang said.

The latest person to be examined over the incident was PDI executive Fatimah Achmad, who had been questioned previously.

PDI supporters loyal to Soerjadi took over the party's office on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta on July 27, 1996. At the time, the office was occupied by supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, whom Soerjadi ousted as party head in a government-backed party congress in June.

Many believe elements of the former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) were involved in the attack.

The National Commission on Human Rights announced in September 1996 that five people died, 149 were injured and 23 went missing during the violence.

Shortly after police reopened the investigation into the incident in February of this year, 13 people were named suspects.

Soerjadi, also a member of the Supreme Advisory Council, was arrested on Tuesday, on the eve of his 61st birthday, following marathon questioning over his role in the violence.

Soerjadi is now in the custody of the National Police, along with three other former PDI executives.

Soerjadi was quoted by his lawyer Parlin Sitorus as telling police detectives he hosted a meeting with a number of officers from the Armed Forces and officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs at a hotel in South Jakarta two days before the July 27 bloodshed.

Among those who attended the meeting were Syarwan and the then director general of sociopolitical affairs at the ministry, Soetoyo N.K.

Soerjadi's lawyers have repeatedly accused the police of failing to go after senior military officers reportedly involved in plotting the removal of Megawati as PDI chairwoman and the 1996 attack. (ylt)