Thukul’s widow: The house must summon the president
Tempo Interactive - February 8, 2007
Imron Rosyid, Solo — The families of activists
abducted in 1997-1998 are calling on the House of
Representatives (DPR) to summon President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) following a statement by the
Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission
(Komnas HAM), Abdul Hakim Garuda Nasution, that
Yudhoyono has information pertaining to the fate of
the activists which after years and years has still
not been clarified.
Sipon, the widow of Wiji Thukul, a People Democratic
Party (PRD) activist who disappeared in 1998, said
that in addition to seeking information, the
summoning of the president by the DPR would also be
used to question the commitment of the Attorney
General. "The key now lies with the president and
the DPR", Sipon told Tempo on Wednesday February 7.
According to Sipon, she is convinced that the
president has a great deal of information on the
fate of the abducted activists. She said that
currently there are no other avenues that the
families of the victims can pursue except to ask the
president to be candid in revealing all the
information that he has.
"The president is a former military general right,
who at the time the abductions occurred was an
important person. It is impossible that SBY doesn’t
know. Now it depends on whether he is willing or
not. The DPR and the president must cooperate in
uncovering this issue", she said.
Earlier Komnas HAM had said it believed that
Yudhoyono has information about the fate of the
activists abducted in 1997-1998. When the abductions
took place, Yudhoyono was the Indonesian Military’s
(TNI) head of Social and Political Affairs and was
once a member of the TNI’s Honorary Council, which
questioned a military officer suspected being
involved in the abductions. "So SBY could provide
information because [he] had once been a member of
the honorary council", said Nusantara during a
public hearing with the DPR’s Legal Commission
yesterday.
Sipon herself admits to being pessimistic that what
happened to her husband and is friends will be
uncovered saying she believes that the reluctance on
the part of the Attorney General to accept a report
from Komnas HAM is a sign that the gross human
rights violations will be put on ice. She says that
what happened to her husband may not be very
different from the fate suffered by activists during
the slaughter in 1965, which to date has still has
yet to be revealed. "At most it will be put on ice
like the 1965 cases if the president doesn’t
intervene", she said.
Komnas HAM: President Yudhoyono knows a lot
Kompas - February 7, 2007
Jakarta — The National Human Rights Commission
(Komnas HAM) believes that President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono has a great of information about the
abduction of pro-democracy activists in 1997-1998.
Based on this, Komnas HAM believes that it would be
a mistake if the president does not give his full
attention to solving these gross human rights
violations.
Komnas HAM chairperson Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara
made this statement during a hearing with the House
of Representatives (DPR) Commission III on Tuesday
February 6. The meeting was chaired by Commission
III deputy chairperson Azis Syamsuddin from the
Golkar Party fraction. "President Yudhoyono was once
a member of the [Indonesian Military’s] honorary
council that questioned a military officer involved
in the abductions. President Yudhoyono therefore, is
the one that could provide information", said
Nusantara.
Because up until this day the whereabouts of the 13
activists remain unknown, Komnas HAM is asking the
president to immediately task the national police
with finding them within a period of three months.
“They must be found no mater what their plight”,
asserted Nusantara.
Because there has been no sign from the government
that it will investigate a number of pending human
rights violations, several DPR members have started
to pressure Komnas HAM to take the case before the
International Human Rights Court.
"I agree with the internationalisation of human
rights cases if there is no presidential will [to
solve them]", said Eva Kusuma Sundari from the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction
during the meeting.
Arbab Paproeka from the National Mandate Party
faction has also raised questions about Attorney
General Abdul Rahman Saleh’s stance who has
persisted in avoiding investigating the
disappearance of the 13 activists on the grounds
that he is waiting for a recommendation from the
DPR.
Responding to this impasse, the Commission III
meeting with Komnas HAM decided to immediately
support an investigation by the Attorney General
into the results of an investigation by Komnas HAM
into the 1997-1998 disappearances that are believed
to be gross human rights violations.
The commission also agreed to immediately hold a
tripartite discussion with the Attorney General and
Komnas HAM to follow up the results of the
investigation. (sut)