Returned activists promise to speak

JAKARTA (JP): Two returned activists, Pius Lustrilanang and Andi Arief, have promised to give an account of what happened to them when they were missing.

But the military has once again denied any involvement in the much-publicized disappearances.

"I am sure and I know precisely that there is not a single policy (related to the missing people) from ABRI, the Armed Forces, and no order from the Minister of Defense/Armed Forces chief (Gen. Wiranto to abduct activists)," Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was quoted as saying Saturday by Suara Pembaruan daily.

Yudhoyono said that the Armed Forces chief had even issued a clear order to the National Police to help search for the people reported missing.

Yesterday, Pius, 30, returned to Jakarta from his hometown of Palembang in South Sumatra where he reappeared recently after a two-month disappearance.

The secretary-general of SIAGA, a loose association of supporters of government critics Megawati Soekarnoputri and Amien Rais, was accompanied by Albert Hasibuan of the National Commission on Human Rights and his lawyer Paskah Irianto of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI).

"Pius will be open and speak about his experiences during his disappearance, at the right time," Hasibuan told reporters who met them at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's arrival gate yesterday afternoon.

Hasibuan said Pius was still "a bit traumatized" and was undergoing counseling with a spiritual mentor. Clad in jeans and a gray T-shirt, Pius appeared to be exhausted yesterday.

Pius and his lawyers will meet with the other members of the rights commission this morning.

"His account will help the commission in its planned talks with interested parties like the defense minister (Wiranto)," Hasibuan said.

The rights campaigner hopes the returned activist's account would help shed light on a spate of disappearances of activists, and abate people's fears.

Pius is a graduate of the Bandung-based Parahyangan University's law school. He is also the chairman of the People's Alliance for Democracy (Aldera), a group of students known for staging demonstrations critical of the government.

On Saturday, Andi Arief, 27, also said he would give an account of his experience after he was abducted on March 28 by a gang of unidentified men from his home in Bandarlampung.

After about three weeks of interrogation by the unknown men, he found himself in the custody of the National Police on April 17.

Andi, who is in the Jakarta Police detention center, promised he would identify his abductors to the National Military Police "but only if the military police ask me to", he said as quoted by one of his lawyers.

Lawyer Munir of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said Andi also promised to describe the whereabouts of three other missing activists.

Rahardjo Waluyo Djati, 28, and Faisol Riza, 24 -- both from the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta -- and Herman Hendrawan, 27, a student from Airlangga University in Surabaya, have been missing since March 12, when they were known to be in Jakarta.

Andi's parents will meet with the military police on Wednesday.

"I cannot just swallow it and do nothing," Andi's father Arief Mahya said after meeting with Andi at National Police Headquarters.

Police have claimed Andi was in custody in connection with last January's bomb blast which was allegedly linked to the outlawed Democratic People's Party (PRD).

Andi, a graduate of the Gadjah Mada University's School of Social and Political Sciences, is the chairman of PRD's student wing, the Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy (SMID).

Separately in Semarang, Central Java, Minister of Justice Muladi said that the disappearances of a number activists and students reflected poor human rights protection and may undermine the country's human rights protection campaign.

Muladi was quoted by Antara as saying Saturday that other countries have been closely monitoring the case of the missing activists, so a thorough investigation is a must to avert international criticism.

Muladi, who is also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, said the military must also provide a public explanation about the issue.

Andi first met with his lawyers at National Police Headquarters on April 23. There were no details available about who abducted him, interrogated him day and night, and kept him blindfolded for almost three weeks. (edt/byg/aan)