Rights body urged to investigate killing
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)