Seven opposition figures questioned further
JAKARTA (JP): The National Police ignored mounting calls on Wednesday to drop their investigation of government critics and continued to question seven of the 20 opposition figures accused of trying to topple President B.J. Habibie's government.
The seven figures questioned at the National Police headquarters were former head of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret) A. Kemal Idris; former Jakarta governor Marine Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin; politician Johny M. Hidayat; soothsayer Permadi; economist Sri Edi Swasono and his younger brother, Indonesian Democratic Union Party (Pudi) chairman Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Meilono Suwondo, a close associate of Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Those summoned for questioning earlier included Megawati's youngest sister Sukmawati; University of Indonesia alumni (Iluni) chairman Hariadi Dharmawan; Iluni executive M. Haryono Kartohadiprodjo; Pribadyo S.; Roch Basoeki Mangoenprojo and Koen Soekarno.
The seven figures questioned on Wednesday admitted they had signed dossiers in which they rejected the allegation that they planned a massive student movement and mass recruitment to "occupy" the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR) building on Nov. 13.
A police source said that of the 20 opposition figures the police were only seriously targeting three. These are believed to have close links with the student movement and the declaration of the joint communique, demanding the Habibie government be replaced.
"They are Sri Edi Swasono, who is one of the students' favorite lecturers; Hariadi on account of his Iluni position and Johny M. Hidayat, who organized the joint communique declaration," the source said.
The figures are charged of violating Articles 107 and 110 of the Criminal Code on subversion, which carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment.
"Today's questioning of me has finished, but as a good citizen I'm ready whenever police still need me," Sri Bintang told reporters before leaving the headquarters.
In a related development, Hariadi, who is the inspector general at the Ministry of Forestry and Plantation is soon to be dismissed from his post.
Forestry minister Muslimin Nasution confirmed the replacement, but denied that it was related to the ongoing police investigation.
"It's not because he is currently summoned by the police for questioning. The process is quite complicated and is on account of various considerations," the minister told journalists on Wednesday.
Hariadi and several other senior officials at the ministry were replaced based on decrees issued by Habibie and Muslimin last month.
Their successors would be officially installed soon after Habibie issued a decree that would legalize the new organization of the ministry, Muslimin added.
In Yogyakarta thousands of students from Sanata Dharma University held a long march from their campus to the state-run radio (RRI) station RRI Nusantara II in protest the Semanggi incident and reject the results of the MPR Special Session.
In Mataram West Nusa Tenggara, Supreme Advisory Council chairman A.A. Baramuli disclosed that he had advised the President to uphold the existing law against the dissident figures.
"I suggested that the President use the existing laws, but not the subversion law, as it's not democratic and not in line with the state ideology Pancasila," he said.
In Bandung the student senate of the Bandung Institute of Technology urged high-ranking government officials and heads of various groups to restrain themselves and no longer use hostile words, such as treason, exploitation by force and setting one side against the other, which only create further hatred. (emf/gis/swa/25)