The Australian, October 22, 2003
Trial for Indonesian Kopassus chief
By Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent
The chief of Indonesia's special forces will make history tomorrow when his trial
begins in Jakarta's central court.
Major-General Sriyanto Mutrasan will be the first Kopassus leader to face the courts,
despite the special forces' history of brutality.
The feared red berets have been blamed for inciting much of the mayhem that
overwhelmed East Timor following the referendum on independence, as well as
running a campaign of terror in Papua that culminated in the murder of Papuan leader
Theys Eluay. Allegations of Kopassus brutality have been widespread in the troubled
districts of Aceh and Ambon.
The Australian military severed relations with Kopassus following evidence the
Indonesia special forces had orchestrated the East Timor devastation. A recent
attempt to resuscitate a joint training program foundered on Indonesia's refusal to
allow Australia to veto certain Kopassus soldiers suspected of gross human rights
abuses.
Sriyanto has been charged with crimes against humanity in the notorious Tanjung
Priok massacre, in which at least 18 Muslim activists were killed in north Jakarta in
1984.
Families claim the death toll was in the hundreds after the military fired wildly at
crowds protesting against the arrest of young activists.
The massacre accelerated the rot in relations between the Suharto government and
conservative Muslims, and it has been partly blamed for the Muslim terrorism that
haunts modern Indonesia.
Eleven military officers have been called by the Ad-Hoc Human Rights Tribunal for the
Tanjung Priok case, and Sriyanto faces the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Human rights activist Munir said yesterday that Sriyanto was only a low-level officer at
the time of the massacre but was in charge of the commandos who shot into the
crowds.
Indonesian military leaders remain unconcerned about Sriyanto's possible crimes
against humanity, he said.
"Actually, at the time he was promoted to become commander of Kopassus, Sriyanto
was already a suspect.
"It very much appears as if there are several conservative elements in the Indonesian
military that don't care about his breaches.
"In fact, we can see that his promotion was partly to give him protection from the trial
process."
Munir, who works with the Indonesian Legal Foundation, said there had been many
Kopassus chiefs connected with serious human rights breaches, and simply
transferred.
Others had emerged with enhanced reputations.
Former president Suharto's son-in-law Prabowo Subianto was the commander of
Kopassus in the late 90s.
He later evaded charges of kidnapping activists and is now a potential presidential
candidate.
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