Solution to Priok tragedy

Solution to Priok tragedy

The tragic case of human rights violations which ended in the
killing of innocent people and those protesting against the
military during the Soeharto era about 16 years ago has only now
surfaced in a very dramatic fashion.

Already appearing before the commission on human rights
violations in the tragic Tanjung Priok affair were a number of
retired Army and police generals, including former armed forces
commander L.B. Moerdani and former Jakarta Military commander Try
Sutrisno.

None among those called to testify so far before the
commission has openly admitted their guilt, contrary to the
testimony of witnesses who claimed they witnessed their presence
at the scene and their involvement in the suppression. Families
of those who disappeared have insisted on punishment for the
guilty. Bodies were exhumed to determine the identities of the
victims, often an impossible task.

The charges were mainly directed against the military, who at
the time was ordered to restore law and order by all means, which
implied violent methods. The demand for justice has been
strongest from religious groups, who feel the military trampled
on basic human rights even as victims were in houses of worship.

I have a feeling that the case will drag on and on and if it
ever comes to a court trial -- civil, military of human rights
court -- it will be a never-ending process or made to appear so,
with defense lawyers further delaying the proceedings. After a
lapse of sixteen years the defense may question the memory of the
witnesses, calling for the exhumation, like in Kosovo, of more
graves.

True and real justice will not be found to everybody's
satisfaction. It would, therefore, be preferable that the whole
affair be considered and handled as a national tragedy of the
past, under a regime for which the nation's political leadership
as a whole must admit their common guilt and consider a joint
apology and offer compensation to the victims' families.

Those who have suffered mentally, mostly Muslims, surely would
be willing to forgive, though not forget, the brutal killings.

There are too many influential personalities involved in the
case and will likely succeed in escaping through legal loopholes,
and the relatives of the victims will continue to suffer without
certainty about when the case will end.

I think the state minister of human rights affairs should take
the initiative, while the compensation money should come from
Soeharto's funds.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta