Wiranto orders stop to killings
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)