Rights body, KWI posts in new council stay vacant

Rights body, KWI posts in new council stay vacant

JAKARTA (JP): The government decided on Thursday not to fill
places left vacant by the National Commission on Human Rights and
the Indonesian Bishop Conference (KWI) on the Council for
Enforcement of Security and Law.

"There will be no replacements," Minister/State Secretary
Akbar Tandjung was quoted as saying by Antara after the first
meeting of the council, which was presided over by President B.J.
Habibie.

Habibie established the council by a decree early last month,
with the aim to "control and coordinate efforts to resolve crises
threatening national stability".

The rights body and the KWI refused to join the council last
week, saying that the council's mandate goes beyond their own
functions.

The nonstructural body is chaired by the President, but for
daily operations he has appointed Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto as the chairman of a
smaller executive committee.

Akbar has said that the council would be comprised of 23
Cabinet members; National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi; the
head of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board, Lt. Gen. (ret)
Zaini Azhar Maulani; the Secretary of Development Operations, Lt.
Gen. (ret) Sintong Panjaitan; the chairman of the rights body and
the leaders of five religious councils.

Akbar said that during the two-hour meeting, Wiranto presented
a plan on the establishment of the 40,000-strong People's
Security (Kamra).

Rp 300 billion would be needed to set up the People's
Security, which he said was not being established to oppose
demonstrators.

Following an uproar over plans to establish a civilian
militia, the government said that the formation of the militia
would be delayed pending the issuance of a law on the matter.

People's Security would temporarily help overcome the lack of
security personnel, Minister of Justice Muladi said on Monday.
(byg)