Wiranto promises new ABRI style

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) celebrates its 53rd anniversary on Monday by taking a hard look at its image, pledging solutions to some rights violations, and pleading against being seen as "cruel murderers and destroyers" who inflicted suffering on people.

Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto said in a media briefing on Sunday that "history has placed ABRI at a strategic turning point... ABRI is aware that it should do some introspection, to obtain an image of what is its best function and role."

Wiranto conceded ABRI now believed that its "security approach" was no longer relevant, and that it should now have a new paradigm as a part of the national system.

ABRI has come under increasing public criticism this year following the disappearance of dozens of activists, its handling of the violent mass rioting in May and the shooting of students during a peaceful protest that precipitated the unrest. Wiranto spoke about all three subjects in his briefing.

He started with a delineation of the military's effort to undertake changes including "redefining, repositioning and renewing" its role in the nation's life.

Wiranto said the military was not closing its eyes to soldiers' past "violations of discipline and actions that have exceeded acceptable levels."

But, he added, "It is unfair and really disproportionate if actions by security personnel which were at the time legal... are now attacked and labeled as wrong in the current era of reform."

In his address, which Antara said he called a political statement, Wiranto said ABRI had decided to separate the police from the military. However, a decision had yet to be made whether the police will be under the auspices of the defense ministry or the home ministry.

"ABRI has decided to reposition or separate the National Police from ABRI," said Wiranto, who is also minister of defense and security.

"ABRI has set up a gradual agenda to reposition the National Police. Starting in April of 1999, the training and operation of the national police will be apart from ABRI and placed under, or more precisely returned to, the defense ministry," Wiranto said.

However, he said a decision had yet to be made on which government department the 177,000-strong police force would ultimately be directly responsible to.

Rapes

Wiranto reiterated ABRI had so far failed to find proof of mass rapes of ethnic-Chinese women that many people alleged took place during the May riots here.

"The government and ABRI have made various efforts to find the victims of the rapes reported to have taken place during the May 13 to May 15 unrest," Wiranto said.

"These efforts have not yielded results. ABRI has also not obtained concrete and convincing replies, data or proof from parties that have claimed to possess important information," he added.

Wiranto made a similar statement in September, much to the consternation of human rights groups.

Wiranto said the police checked 20 hospitals in Jakarta and several others in Singapore and Perth, Australia, where rape victims were reported to have sought treatment following their ordeals but found no evidence to confirm the reports.

Wiranto also called on the nation to ponder whether it was true that during its years of service, ABRI had only shown itself as cruel murderers and destroyers.

"No bragging intended, history has recorded that ABRI has fought with the nation... we can't estimate how many thousands of ABRI's best children... sacrificed their lives for the truth and the nation?"

"Will those sacrifices be forgotten just like that for the sake of certain groups' political interests?" he said, without mentioning any names.

He further asked the people to ponder the lives of many service personnel who became crippled, mothers who lost children, wives who lost husbands and children who lost fathers in their commitment to duties.

"Do they ever protest and take revenge against the nation or are they wrong to feel it is enough to receive service medals, which are put on the walls to replace of their dead parents," he said.

Later in the day, Wiranto spoke to all ABRI members in a televised diurnal command calling on them not to allow "a deconstruction of the nation" to take place.

"Don't just sit back and let deconstruction occur and destroy the whole order and structure of the nation," he said. "No tasks are too heavy in our effort to handle the crisis, to walk together in this reform movement..." (swe)