Wiranto promises new ABRI style

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)