The foibles and follies of the July 27 investigation

The foibles and follies of the July 27 investigation

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Justice has yet to be served nearly six years after the bloody
attack on the then Indonesia Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters
at Jl. Diponegoro 58, Menteng, Central Jakarta on July 27, 1996,
in which five people died, 149 were injured and 23 others went
missing.

Lawyer R.O. Tambunan of the Indonesian Democratic Defenders
Team (TPDI), who represented the victims, said that President
Megawati Soekarnoputri had no political will to solve the case.

"She could have told her subordinates to speed up the case
when she was vice president, but she didn't do so, moreover today
when she is President," he said.

However, lawyer Trimedya Panjaitan of the Indonesian
Democratic Defenders Forum (FPDI) -- a splinter group of TPDI
which supported Megawati -- blamed the establishment of the joint
military-police team, assigned to probe the case.

"They've slowed down the legal process, perhaps they are
afraid to investigate their seniors," he told The Jakarta Post.

The joint team was established in July 2000 upon the
suggestion of the House of Representatives. The team comprises 70
members from the Military Police, military prosecutors, the
Jakarta Police detective unit and the National Police detective
unit.

The team replaced the National Police team, which had
previously handled the investigation of the July 27 incident.

In fact, the July 27 incident was first handled by the Jakarta
Police. The National Police later took over the case following an
instruction from president Abdurrahman Wahid, that the police
must probe the July 27 incident.

It was also Abdurrahman who permitted the joint team to
question generals allegedly involved in the case.

Trimedya added that "procedures at the Jakarta Prosecutors
Office" also played a part in delaying the legal process.

However, intelligence assistant to the Jakarta Prosecutors
Office, R.J. Soehandoyo, claimed that the office had to return
the case files to the joint team because they lacked the details
to make indictments against the suspects.

"Witnesses have given unclear and conflicting testimony. If we
insist on bringing the case to court, we will lose as the
indictments are obscure," he asserted.

Earlier, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told
reporters of his disappointment with the response of the
prosecutors office.

"We delivered the case files several times, but they always
returned them to us for further revision," he said.

In March, the joint team handed over nine dossiers to the
prosecutors office. None were approved by the office.

The team has declared 10 military suspects and 12 civilian
suspects.

The military suspects include former Jakarta military chief
Let. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso -- now the city governor --, former
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Hamami Nata, former chief of
National Intelligence Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim.

The civilian suspects are former PDI chairman Soerjadi, former
deputy chairman Alex Widya Siregar, former secretary-general
Buttu Hutapea, party member Jonathan Marpaung and an executive of
Pemuda Pancasila youth organization Yorrys Raweyai.

The joint team handed over three dossiers to the prosecutors
office for the first time in September 2000. But the office
returned the dossiers to the team citing a lack of evidence. It
has happened several times to date.

Supporters of Megawati, who is known to have a close
relationship with the military, have repeatedly urged the
government to present the masterminds of the incident, including
the generals, before the court.

They have conducted rallies each year on July 27 to
commemorate the incident and to urge the government to resolve
the case.

Until president Soeharto was replaced by president B.J.
Habibie in May 1998, their efforts to push for legal proceedings
against the people behind the incident, including military and
police officials, had been largely unsuccessful.

The July 27 riot erupted during Soeharto's tenure.

At the time, a group of supporters of PDI's splinter faction,
lead by progovernment politician Soerjadi and backed by elements
in the former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), raided and took
over the party headquarters from supporters of ousted PDI leader
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Soerjadi replaced Megawati in a government-sponsored congress
in Medan in May 1996. The headquarters takeover resulted in a
clash between the two groups of supporters.

The police immediately investigated the case. The legal
process took less than five months, starting from the police
investigation to the end of the trial.

Unfortunately, the investigation and trial were only held
against Megawati's supporters.

On Oct. 9, 1996, 124 of Megawati's supporters stood trial at
the Central Jakarta District Court for involvement in the
incident.