Rights team clarification

I would like to clarify the news published on page 2 of The Jakarta Post dated Sept. 16, 2003, on the May 1998 riots.

According to the report, the ad hoc team of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigating the May 1998 incident identified some 20 civilians and military officers as being behind the disturbances.

This is not the case because we did not conclude that officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri) were behind the incident. Military and police officers are considered responsible in terms of security, and, based on Law No.26/2000, can be associated with crime by omission.

SALAHUDIN WAHID Komnas HAM Jakarta