Treatment of TNI

Treatment of TNI

From Kompas

Having read the media's reports on the May 12, 1998 tragedy,
including the statements of the National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) and Todung Mulya Lubis that the Indonesian
Military (TNI) was involved in serious human rights violations
(Kompas of May 10, 2001 and May 23, 2001), TNI seem to be
cornered by established opinion. This opinion is certainly unfair
as it only focuses on the four student victims whereas soldiers
and/or policemen killed while performing their duties during
students or mass demonstrations are ignored.

I am not a man who makes a cult of retired Gen. Wiranto,
however, based on his statements and existing information, when
he was chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, he was a popular
general who was very patient in dealing with demonstrators. He
had instructed the Riot Control Units to be tactful and wise in
handling demonstrators. Imagine how hard it was to handle the
students as the security apparatus had to be mentally prepared to
receive insult, be abused, pelted with Molotov cocktails and so
on.

If Gen.(ret.) Wiranto had not been the chief of the Armed
Forces at that time, a Tiananmen-like incident could have taken
place.

Coming back to the issue of the May 12, 1998 tragedy, all
parties including TNI should help realize a fair trial and
justice based on witnesses accounts and evidence, and not
emotions. This way we hope the culprits who caused the deaths of
those students and security personnel would be identified.

YANTO

Bandung