[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
Investigator Says Elements of Ind
- Subject: Investigator Says Elements of Ind
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 00:30:00
Subject: Investigator Says Elements of Indonesian Military Involved in
Asia:Indonesia
Investigator Says Elements of
Indonesian Military Involved in
AP
03-NOV-98
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Members of the Indonesian
military were
involved in deadly riots that swept Jakarta in May and
helped oust former
President Suharto, a chief investigator said today.
The disclosure is likely to further embarrass the military,
which is struggling to
revamp its image amid evidence of widespread abuses during
Suharto's three
decades of authoritarian rule.
A report on riots in six cities compiled by a
government-backed team of
investigators alleges that members of the military
instigated some of the violence,
said Bambang Widjojanto, a team member and human rights
lawyer.
"However, we still don't know if it was the involvement of
individuals or the
institution," Bambang said by telephone.
He did not speculate why members of the military would take
part in the riots.
Some government opponents have alleged military hard-liners
wanted an excuse
to crack down on dissent, a charge that the government has
vehemently denied.
The panel's report, expected to be released this week, also
disputes military
claims that no mass rapes were committed during the riots.
The report
concluded that 66 women, many of them ethnic Chinese, were
raped.
The Chinese minority, which dominates the economy, has been
a frequent target
of attacks during Indonesia's economic crisis.
As many as 1,200 people died in the riots in Jakarta, many
of them looters
trapped in burning shopping malls.
The report urges the government to prosecute rioters as well
as military officials
who were implicated in the kidnapping of political activists
earlier this year. Ten
members of Indonesia's special forces, known as Kopassus,
have been arrested.
Also today, the ruling Golkar Party appeared split over
whether to apologize for
its role in keeping Suharto in power. Newspaper reports
quoted the party's
deputy chairman as saying he was sorry for Golkar's past
performance. The
party's chairman, however, said the party had no reason to
apologize.
Copyright 1998& The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.
© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc. A Time Warner
Company
All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this
information is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
Custom News is built on technology.