Truth commission urged to unveil 1965 bloodshed

Truth commission urged to unveil 1965 bloodshed

JAKARTA (JP): An observer suggested on Tuesday the first task
undertaken by the government's proposed truth and reconciliation
commission be to unveil the truth behind the mass killings that
followed the 1965 abortive coup blamed on the Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI).

Speaking at a seminar here, researcher Daniel Dakidhae said
the bloodshed was the beginning of the country's history of
violence perpetrated by the state.

"Following (the mass killings), the state committed violence
and manipulated history for the New Order regime's sake," Daniel,
who heads Kompas daily's research and development department,
said.

The seminar, titled Human Right Abuses Cases Solution: Between
Truth and Justice, was sponsored by the Institute for Study and
Social Advocacy.

Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed in the
military-backed operation to root out suspected communists
following the attempted coup, but foreign reports put the number
at 500,000.

Human rights campaigners have called for the establishment of
a truth and reconciliation commission to allow the country to
come to terms with its traumatic past. President Abdurrahman
Wahid has proposed establishing a commission based on a similar
one set up in South Africa.

Daniel suspected the 1965 coup attempt was the result of an
internal dispute within the Army, pointing to the fact that seven
Army generals were murdered in the incident.

"(The New Order regime) always said elements of the Army who
were influenced by PKI were involved in the coup attempt," Daniel
said, citing a new book written by Saskia Eleonora Wieringa
titled The Politicization of Gender Relations in Indonesia.

Daniel suggested the truth and reconciliation commission look
into human right abuses which occurred during Soeharto's reign
and the administration of president B.J. Habibie, whose term in
office ended in October last year.

He also asked the public to support President Abdurrahman
Wahid's proposal to revoke a 1966 Provisional People's
Consultative Assembly decree banning communism in Indonesia.

Separately, noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid suggested
the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) form the
backbone of the planned commission.

"I believe the commission should recruit personnel from inside
Komnas HAM and involve experts or activists," Nurcholish said on
the sidelines of a seminar on Islam and democracy.

He hailed the plan to establish the commission, saying it was
a positive way to deal with past atrocities in the country.

Support for the plan also came from State Minister of Human
Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad, who said such a commission was
imperative because not all past human rights abuses could be
settled in the courts.

Hasballah said some past human rights violations could not be
tried due to technical reasons.

"Maybe the suspects are already dead or the hard evidence and
witnesses are no longer available," Hasballah said following a
ceremony installing a number of top officials in his office.

During his visit to South Africa on Saturday, President
Abdurrahman discussed establishing a truth and reconciliation
commission with his counterpart President Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki said his government was ready to assist Jakarta in
setting up a commission.

Hasballah said a political consensus among the government,
legislators and the people was needed to determine how far back
in the country's past the proposed commission would go to address
human rights abuses.

He also said the commission should be allowed to restore the
good names of those who were victims of past human rights abuses.
(08/dja/jun)