Rights body undecided on KPP HAM's reports

Rights body undecided on KPP HAM's reports

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
are planning to hold a special hearing on April 22 to evaluate
the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights
Violations (KPP HAM) probing the Trisakti and Semanggi incidents.

Komnas HAM secretary-general Asmara Nababan said four Komnas
HAM members had been assigned to study and give their personal
assessment of the inquiry into the 1998 and 1999 incidents that
claimed dozens of lives. The four are Komnas HAM chairman Djoko
Soegianto, Soelistyowati Soegondo, B.N. Marbun, and Soegiri.

"All other members will also allowed to give their opinions at
the hearing, especially Albert Hasibuan and Saparinah Sadli who
know a lot about the report as they were on the inquiry team,"
Asmara told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The report, which was submitted on March 21, recommends that
the Attorney General's Office investigate 50 names believed to be
involved in the incidents, where security personnel attacked the
protesting students "for the sake of certain political
interests".

According to Asmara, Komnas HAM would set up an internal team
to follow up on the inquiry should the upcoming meeting find that
the inquiry team's report was inconclusive or incomplete in
proving that there were systematic and widespread policies
adopted by the state.

The team would be mandated to exercise Komnas HAM's subpoena
rights to resummon a number of military and police officers, who
had resisted the inquiry team's summons, arguing that both Komnas
HAM and its inquiry team were unlawful.

The military and police institutions had stated that they
would file an objection with the court should the commission
enforce the subpoena, further delaying the investigation.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II
chairman Teras Narang told the Post on Saturday that his
commission expected to complete in June the first screening of 34
candidates for the membership of Komnas HAM that had earlier been
submitted to the commission.

Commission II is responsible for, among other things, law and
human rights issues.

Commission II had also asked Komnas HAM to submit more names
so that it could pick 35 new members. Komnas HAM, however, has
turned down the request, arguing that a 1993 government
regulation on the establishment of the rights commission allowed
its members to keep working until December 2003.