Students rally for Reform Heroes

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of students took to the streets on Saturday to commemorate the May 12, 1998 slaying of four Trisakti University students, an event which to this day continues to be shrouded in mystery.

The rally, predominantly comprised of Trisakti University students, was as much to remember the fallen students as it was to raise awareness that three years on there has been little progress in solving the shootings, which were a precursor to the fall of then President Soeharto.

The ceremony began inside the campus in Grogol, West Jakarta, where the students were shot.

Rector Thobi Muthis presided over a solemn ceremony to remember Hery Hartanto, Hafidhin Alifidin Royan, Elang Mulia Lesmana and Hendrawan Sie.

The students sang the mournful Gugur Bunga (The Fallen Flowers). The national red-and-white flag was then lowered to half-mast.

The parents of the four students were also present and addressed the gathering.

Thobby reminded those in attendance that the tragedy triggered nationwide protests which then led to the fall of Soeharto on May 21.

But justice has not been served as the persons who ordered the shootings have not been punished, Thobby said.

"We will continue our struggle until all those responsible for the shootings are pursued to the full extent of the law," Thobby vowed in his speech.

Students, lecturers and parents of the slain students then laid wreaths at four places inside the campus where the students where shot.

They also spread flowers at a four-pillared silver memorial monument which was erected last year in remembrance of the four students who were declared Heroes of Reform by Soeharto's successor, President B.J. Habibie.

Hafidhin's father, Enos Yunus, spoke for many when he said: "All of the parents (of the four students) just want to know who the shooters were and who ordered the shootings."

Sentence

The shootings occurred when Trisakti University students were conducting a rally in front of their campus.

As the security forces moved in to control the rally, shots suddenly rang out.

Two lieutenants have been held responsible for ordering the shootings.

In August 1998, First Lt. Agus Tri Heryanto, 29, and Second Lt. Pariyo, 38, both members of the police's Mobile Brigade, were sentenced to 10 months and 4 months in jail respectively by a military tribunal in Jakarta.

Senior military and police officers who were in command at the time, such as former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. (ret.) Wiranto and former Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo, have repeatedly declared their innocence in the case.

At a hearing with the House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies, Wiranto slammed the committee for linking their names with the two incidents.

Thobby on Saturday insisted that "justice must be upheld" and that he was determined to resolve the mystery.

During the ceremony, the three-story Asy-Syuhada mosque inside the campus was also inaugurated. The Rp 3.5 billion mosque was dedicated to the four students.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Moch. Sofyan Yacob said during the commemoration that the situation was peaceful throughout the capital.

He noted that apart from the campus, a number of commemoration ceremonies were also being held at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the Semanggi cloverleaf, and at the Proclaimers' Monument on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta.

"The students had earlier informed us about their plans to organize these events," said Sofyan. (01/bby/prb)