Trisakti tragedy remains a mystery
JAKARTA (JP): The mystery behind the Trisakti University shootings which killed four students remains no closer to being unraveled today as it did two years ago.
Speaking before a House special committee on Tuesday, military and police officers who held top posts during the May 12, 1998, incident maintained that they were unaware of which personnel opened fire on the student rally.
Giving their testimony to the special committee were former Jakarta Military chief Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Syamsuddin, former City Police chief Insp. Gen. Hamami Nata, former chief of the West Jakarta Military subdistrict Col. Amril, former West Jakarta Police precinct chief Snr. Comm. Timur Pradopo, and former chief of the Jakarta Military Police Col. Hendardji.
Safrie and Hamami maintained that neither issued such orders to their personnel who were assigned to security operations in West Jakarta.
"In my capacity as chief of the military operation to maintain security and order in the city, I instructed my subordinates to use a persuasive approach to prevent students from staging demonstrations outside their campus," Sjafrie said.
He said around 500 troops from the City Military had been deployed to West Jakarta, but they were all equipped with rubber bullets.
"I only received a report that the shooting occurred at around 5 p.m. I then held a meeting with my subordinates to discuss the incident," he said, adding that former Indonesian Military Chief Gen. Wiranto had also ordered an investigation into the incident which produced minimal results.
Sjafrie stressed that he should not be held accountable for the shooting as field security operations were directly under the command of the City Police.
Meanwhile Hamami recounted that only two groups of security personnel from the Mobile Brigade were deployed to handle the demonstration at the Trisakti campus.
"Police personnel were each armed with 12 rubber bullets...I was shocked upon receiving reports that four students were shot dead in the incident," Hamami said.
"After we checked the field, the four students were shot dead using live ammunition but we didn't know who opened fire," he said.
He also argued that the police could not be held responsible since "besides police personnel, a great number of troops from numerous units in TNI were also deployed to help the police handle the escalating situation."
However Col. Arthur Damanik, a senior police officer in the security operation, told the special committee that Sjafrie should be held responsible as the incident occurred during an operation which was under his command.
"Sjafrie who commanded the joint operation to maintain security and order in the city should be held responsible for the tragedy," he said.
Arthur maintained that he himself was inside the campus accompanying former City Police chief Brig. Gen. Gunawan at the time of the shooting.
"I ordered security personnel to stop firing inside the campus after learning that several students were injured," he said, while adding that he has since suffered tremendous psychological duress due to accusations of his involvement in the tragedy.
Several student witnesses however have expressed doubt on the accounts given to the special committee.
Panda Nababan, chairman of the special committee, declined to comment on the proceedings, saying only that "there must be officials who should be held responsible but we have yet to make a conclusion to the investigation."
So far the only legal measures taken on the shooting are six low-ranking police personnel who have been convicted by a tribunal for violating official procedures in the incident. They were sentenced to between three to six months in jail. (rms)