Wiranto vows to investigate East Java killings

Wiranto vows to investigate East Java killings

SURABAYA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
(ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto vowed on Sunday to get to the
bottom of mysterious killings in East Java which over the past
two months has claimed the lives of at least 142 people accused
of practicing black magic.

Wiranto, who was on a one-day visit to the province, appealed
to the public not to suspect the Armed Forces of involvement in
the killings.

"ABRI has conducted internal reforms in several areas, so do
not judge ABRI by the old paradigm," he said during a meeting
with 50 Moslem preachers in Banyuwangi. He added that ABRI would
also seek out the mastermind, if there was any, behind the
murders, and asked that the public be patient.

Wiranto, however, refused to comment on a statement by Moslem
leader Abdurrahman Wahid, who on Saturday alleged that Cabinet
ministers may be involved in the killing spree. "I do not want to
send the country toward disintegration," Wiranto remarked.

Abdurrahman, who chairs Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's
largest Islamic organization, told a group of government critics
that members of the Cabinet and several "non-structural officers"
were behind the murders.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, declined to mention any
names, saying to do so would only create a furor. He also refused
to explain how he came to the conclusion that senior politicians
were involved in the killings.

"It's obvious that the masterminds are everywhere, both in the
Cabinet and outside the formal (political) structure," he said.

Abdurrahman, who was reportedly ill on Sunday, said he doubted
President B.J. Habibie was aware of the alleged involvement of
his aides in the killings. "The President's staff do not give him
accurate information. As far as I know Pak Habibie is a fair
person and would never support such maneuvers," he said.

He called for an immediate and serious investigation into the
murder spree which has claimed many NU Moslem preachers.

Police say that 142 people have been killed in 11 regencies in
East Java. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
Violence puts the toll at 157. Most victims were in Banyuwangi.

Human rights campaigner Marzuki Darusman responded cautiously
on Sunday to Abdurrahman's allegations, saying that Abdurrahman
does not usually issue statements without supportive information.

Noted Moslem scholar Nurcholish Madjid said separately on SCTV
that he hoped Abdurrahman's remarks were "the beginning of
something more substantial." "I really hope it isn't true... Gus
Dur has never had any bad intentions," Nurcholish said, adding
that Abdurrahman could sometimes be hard to follow.

Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris said on the sidelines of a
Golkar leadership meeting on Sunday that Abdurrahman should
report the matter to the police if he has evidence to support his
claims.

Abdurrahman also cited attacks on the residence of oil tycoon
Arifin Panigoro and the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (YLBHI) as further evidence of the involvement of
high-ranking officials. "Habibie's administration has not
responded, while the security forces, who knew about the
(Jakarta) attacks, did not do anything," he said.

Around 100 members of the People's Savior Front attacked
Arifin's South Jakarta residence on Oct. 2, calling him a traitor
for supporting antigovernment student demonstrations earlier this
year. On Oct. 12, hundreds of members of the People's Voice
Committee smashed several windows of the YLBHI office.

Abdurrahman said those involved in the East Java killings and
the attacks on Arifin's house and the YLBHI office were hired.

However, he dismissed speculation that the killings were
linked to a reported conflict between NU and the Armed Forces
(ABRI). "ABRI remains a good friend of NU. If ABRI has failed to
move fast, it is because it has limited financial means and
personnel to respond quickly to the situation," he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that the murders were linked to
a rumored plan to bring former president Soeharto back into
politics, or to a planned coalition between NU's National
Awakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
under Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"The move (killing spree) is meant to paralyze NU," he said.

"It is also meant to trigger civil war between NU and
Muhammadiyah," he added in reference to the second largest Moslem
organization. He dismissed officials' statements that the murders
were perpetrated by members of the outlawed Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI). "What I have learned about the murders... is that
they are meant to maintain the status quo," he said.

Separately in East Java on Sunday, thousands of members of an
NU task force were deployed to guard Moslem preachers in the
provincial capital of Surabaya and in neighboring areas.

Dozens of people from a group called Nation's Solidarity for
Victims of the Banyuwangi Tragedy also held a mass prayer at the
Proclamation Monument in Central Jakarta.

Also on Sunday, hundreds of people in Banjarnegara, Central
Java, attacked a house allegedly owned by a sorcerer. The owner,
Tiardjo, reportedly escaped. Banyumas Police chief Col. Isnandar
said the incident was under investigation. (imn/nur/aan/45/byg)