Violence reinforces intolerance of ABRI

JAKARTA (JP): The violent clashes this week which have resulted in hundreds of injuries and a number of deaths among students, security forces, and civilian security volunteers appear to have reinforced people's intolerance of the Armed Forces' conduct.

The Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said on Friday that students rejecting the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was "democratically ethical".

This contrasted with repeated statements of Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto that justified the presence of the thousands of vigilantes.

"The civilian security volunteers would not have been there in the first place if there had been no effort to foil the Special Session," Wiranto said.

Calls to withdraw the vigilantes, many of whom carried sharp weapons, have fallen on deaf ears in the Armed Forces and the police. Two of these volunteers claiming to be trying to secure the session were killed on Friday, reportedly by Jakarta residents. The session ended on Friday.

YLBHI through its chairman Bambang Widjojanto also warned in its statement of "systematic efforts to pit various civilian components against one another" by using conflicting attitudes which supported and rejected the MPR Special Session. The session ended on Friday.

Mitra Perempuan, the Foundation for the Eradication of Violence against Women, said: "In this era of reform, in which the aim of democracy is shared by all... the Special Session which was expected to realize the dreams of the Indonesian people has instead demonstrated an opposite condition."

The barricades of security forces which should have ensured everyone's safety, Mitra's statement of protest said, "have instead shown a repressive attitude arousing the fear of all people, including mothers of (people) made to face these barricades."

Also on Friday, the Front of Moslem Youths and Students demanded an end to the Armed Forces' dual role. It said the "greatest distortion in the social and political fields and human rights violations have turned out to be mostly conducted by ABRI members. So, for the sake of ensuring a civilian government, ABRI should return to its barracks."

The Committee of Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and several other organizations demanded that ABRI and the police take responsibility for "blessing" the presence of vigilantes through inaction against them.

Presenting a joint statement on Friday, Kontras coordinator Munir questioned the fact that while the police said they had confiscated sharp weapons carried by volunteers, similar groups had shown up the next day, also with sharpened bamboo spears.

A group calling itself Front Sabilillah denied its involvement in a vigilante group with a similar name. It warned that a repetition of "using Islam as a tool of the military and the rulers" would lead to "the allergy and antipathy of students to all Moslem-sponsored reform movements". The front accused several parties of being behind the vigilantes, including the military, saying it had sufficient evidence to substantiate its claim.

The St. Thomas Aquinas Association of Catholic Students expressed its condolences over the death of the students and demanded that Gen. Wiranto resign.

"We protest the ABRI commander's statement who charged that students' peaceful demonstrations were parties who intended to cause unrest with unclear purposes," the statement said. (anr)