Wiranto orders stop to killings
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto said on Tuesday he had instructed East Java police to put a stop to the mysterious killing spree which has claimed more than 100 victims, including Islamic teachers and alleged practitioners of "black magic".
Wiranto, also the defense minister, said he had also ordered the police to thoroughly investigate the gory murders that started in Banyuwangi two months ago and spread to nearby towns of Pasuruan, Jember, Situbondo and Lumajang.
In Pasuruan, four bodies were found over the weekend. A group of attackers reportedly dragged the victims out of their homes, killed them and left their bodies on the streets.
In Situbondo, one died, and in Lumajang, a resident survived an assault but his house was burned down.
"My first instruction is there should be no more victims. We are also investigating whether these killings were merely criminal acts or if there were hidden plans," Wiranto told reporters at the House of Representatives after attending a reading on the bill on freedom of expression.
Dismissing the suggestion the Armed Forces had been slow in reacting to the murders, Wiranto urged communities to beef up their security.
"I am calling on the public to intensify neighborhood night patrols. If each village or subdistrict has their own security watch, then no strangers could come to cause destruction in the villages."
National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said the preliminary police investigation had determined the murders were "purely criminal" in nature.
"At this time, we have learned the motives were (personal) revenge."
Widespread speculation has centered on whether the killings were politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the National Commission on Human Rights reportedly began its investigation on Monday into the murders.
Rights body members Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto and Koesparmono Irsan have been dispatched to Banyuwangi and neighboring areas to collect data and information.
Koesparmono said on Tuesday the rights body would discuss the findings in a plenary session on Thursday.
A police source in Banyuwangi said on Tuesday the police had arrested 63 suspects, seven of whom were considered the ringleaders.
East Java Police chief Maj. Gen. M. Dayat said on Monday he suspected "organized crime" was responsible.
Questioning of suspects detained by the Banyuwangi police indicates the killings were motivated by either personal feuds or financial rewards.
The police and the military are currently sheltering about 300 people considered likely targets of attacks. Many of the murder victims were preachers from Indonesia's largest Moslem organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
A four-member investigative team formed by the East Java chapter of the National Awakening Party (PKB) suspected on Tuesday the killings were backed by a "powerful force" which enabled the perpetrators to commit the murders in a flagrant manner.
A source at the party chapter said in Surabaya the team also suspected the killers possessed sufficient logistics information and a command post to "monitor" the operations.
Separately in Jakarta on Tuesday, Munir of the Independent Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) told a media conference that its investigation team was in Banyuwangi.
"We can't yet make any conclusion, but the authorities seem to have allowed the killings to continue."
He said Kontras planned to hold a media conference on Friday to present its investigation results.
Meanwhile, the Volunteers for Humanity, led by Catholic priest Sandyawan Sumardi, urged the government on Tuesday to launch a serious endeavor to stop the killings.
Police descriptions of the perpetrators tell of knife-wielding killers, wearing ninja-like black dress and masks.
Some of the victims reportedly had their throats slashed and their bodies mutilated. Body parts were reportedly tossed into mosques or hung from trees. (nur/27/byg)