Trisakti investigation continues: Adi Andojo
JAKARTA (JP): The head of the university team probing the May 12, 1998 shooting at Trisakti University, Adi Andojo Sutjipto, said on Friday that the House of Representatives (DPR) has agreed to form a special committee to investigate the fateful incident.
Speaking at a media briefing, Adi, who was accompanied by Trisakti rector Thoby Mutis, said similar special committees would also be setup to investigate the shootings at the Semanggi Cloverleaf in November 1998 and September 1999.
"We hope to shed light on the Trisakti case which has not been resolved for two years...as well as other violence," he said.
"This nation is too busy with politics it makes people easily forget and forgive such incidents. This is dangerous since this nation can loose its sensitivity," Adi, who is also dean of Trisakti's faculty of law and previously deputy chief for the Supreme Court, said.
Adi said the formation of the committee had been agreed in a meeting with the House about a month ago.
"One of the proposers was Panda Nababan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). The names of committee members will be announced soon," he said.
Adi's team also recommended that then National Police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo be summoned by the House to clarify the case.
Adi claimed that the investigation of the Trisakti shooting had been hindered by the fact that superiors of the eight Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers refused to legally process them.
"Police are insistent that the shootings were not done by their personnel, but by another squad. This was clearly stated by Pak Dibyo Widodo, two days after the May 12 shooting.
"The general said that none of the police officers were armed with live bullets. They only carried rubber bullets.
"This contradicts the results of the forensic laboratory work by the military police, in which evidence all pointed to the police," Adi explained.
The military tribunal convened over the Trisakti incident sentenced on Aug. 12, 1998 two police officers to 10 months and 4 months in jail for ordering their men to shoot into a crowd of demonstrating students.
The two officers were Lt. Agus Tri Heryanto, 29, and Lt. Pariyo, 38, from the city police mobile brigade unit.
The status of the remaining eight policemen who have been declared suspects remains unclear.
Four Trisakti students -- Heri Hartanto, Elang Mulya Lesmana, Hafidin Royan and Hendriawan Sie -- were killed in the shooting.
"We have gone through various ballistic tests to obtain the forensic results of the guns used in the killings. The last test was conducted in Canada earlier this year," Adi said.
"It is our team's conclusion that the military, in this case also the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) are not the ones who did this. Valid evidence so far all points to the police. I also believe that Prabowo Subianto had nothing to do with this ... But if he wants to testify, it's up to him," he said.
"We hope for justice to prevail, especially since the House has passed the bill on Human Rights Tribunal. We do not want any scapegoats in this case, but we want this case to be properly resolved. We owe it to those victims of violence".
The Trisakti incident on May 12 forged a massive wave of student and protests in the streets of Jakarta which culminated in the resignation of President Soeharto on May 21.
In a bid to promote human rights issues, Trisakti University will also hold its VII Lustrum on Nov. 27 under the title Human Rights Enforcement for Strengthening the Unity of the Nation. (edt)