Rights body urged to investigate killing
JAKARTA (JP): Rights activists yesterday urged the National Commission on Human Rights to investigate last month's shooting incident in West Kalimantan, during which one protester was killed.
The activists, representing seven non-governmental organizations, also asked commission members to visit those injured in the incident, which they said are still living in fear.
In addition, they called on the commission to investigate alleged human rights abuses and sexual harassment by members of the Armed Forces (ABRI) in Ngabang district, West Kalimantan.
Abdul Hakim G. Nusantara, the executive director of ELSAM, told commission members that the errant soldiers should be brought to justice.
"One person was killed in the shooting spree, and there is abundant evidence of breaches of the law that the court may use in trying the suspects," Abdul Hakim said.
The peace agreement signed on April 11 by local government officials, ABRI leaders and residents should not mean that the errant soldiers are exempted from legal action, he said.
Deny Agus Dwianto of the Indonesian Democratic Movement said the residents, still traumatic from the tragedy, were forced to sign the agreement.
The Ngabang incident was sparked by the alleged abduction and torture of Jining, a local resident, on April 5 by 10 Armed Forces soldiers following a quarrel over a road accident.
Two days later, over 2,000 residents rampaged the Tarik Ngabang military district headquarters after hearing rumors that Jining had died in the hands of his abductors.
According to regional military chief Maj. Gen. Namoeri Anom, troops acted in self-defense after the mob attacked the headquarters.
The activists claim that 15 demonstrators were injured as soldiers opened fire into the crowd. They identified the deceased as Taku, 51.
Abdul Hakim said that although some ABRI members had been involved in a "serious" violation of human rights, there are no indications that the Armed Forces leadership plans to punish the culprits.
Baharuddin Lopa, the commission's secretary-general, promised to look into the activists' report and would determine what actually happened.
He stressed that the commission would proceed carefully in order to avoid resurrecting old problems which were supposedly reconciled when the conflicting parties signed the April 11 peace agreement.
The commission plans to meet with military officials in West Kalimantan to hear their version of the event.
Deny said that the Ngabang soldiers had abused their power and violated one UN convention on codes of ethics for law enforcers and one on the use of violence and firearms by law enforcers.(16)