TNI chiefs sued at court

JAKARTA (JP): The East Jakarta District Court heard on Wednesday a lawsuit filed by a female university student against Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Soeparman and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto.

Lawyers for Fera Yanti S. Hitipeuw of the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) asked the court to order the defendants to pay Rp 50 million (US$5,800) in material losses and Rp 100 billion this sounds like a lot of money in other damages incurred when Fera was allegedly beaten by soldiers in December.

"The defendants should be responsible for the behavior of the soldiers," said Johnson Panjaitan, a lawyer from the Student Movement Lawyers Team.

Johnson said the Rp 50 million was to cover medical bills and other expenses incurred by Fera while she was treated at the university's hospital for a fractured skull.

The other losses were for trauma suffered by the plaintiff and her family caused by the incident, he said.

He said Fera, a law school student, was assaulted on Dec. 17 while she and her friends were on a bus to the campus in Cawang, East Jakarta, at 8 p.m., after participating in a demonstration in front of the House of Representatives compound.

He said a group of soldiers rushed onto the bus after shooting out one of the bus' tires. The soldiers beat the students with their guns. Fera was hit on the head and had to undergo surgery at the UKI hospital that night.

Presiding Judge M. Saleh adjourned the trial until next week to hear responses to the indictment from the defendants' lawyers.

Last week, Saleh proposed the option of an amicable settlement.

The offer, however, was turned down by the plaintiff's lawyers. The lawyers for the military leaders said that they are still open to an out-of-court settlement. (jun)