Jakarta – Some 80 women of the Indonesian Women's Coalition for Justice and Democracy (KPIKD), on Friday (17/7) staged a demonstration in front of the Department of Defense & Security on Jalan Merdeka Barat, Jakarta. Besides demanding a rendering of account concerning the women who have become rape victims, they also demand the same as well as an explanation regarding the riots of 13-14 May last.
Before coming to the Defense Department around 13.00 hours local time, they paraded around the National Monument, carrying banners demanding that the Minister of Defense & Security/Armed Forces Commander be willing to be held morally responsible for the cases of rape during the riots. The group of women consisted of housewives, young girls, nurses and activists of various NGOs.
This KPIKD group was stopped by military district personnel in front of the offices of the Minister Coordinator of Politics and Security. However, after negotiations with the security and the Department of Defense, three representatives of the KPIKD, namely Ita F Nadia, Chusul Mariah, and Titi Soentoro, were allowed to enter the Defense Department. They were received by the public relations bureau chief, Col. FX Bachtiar, and the general information head, Lt. Col. Panggih.
KPIKD spokesperson Julia I Suryakusuma stated in the meeting that the group considered the Armed Forces to have failed to carry out their function as guardians of safety, and that the public now even associates them with terror, intimidation, torture, abduction, rape and even murder by members of the military. The confidence of the society in the Armed Forces is thus worsening.
The statement of position of the KPIKD, read out by coordinator Chusnul Mariah, and addressed to the Minister of Defense, concerned the rendering of account by the Armed Forces regarding the actions of sexual violation of women. They submitted the results of the preliminary investigation of the Volunteers Team for Humanity - Division of Violation of Women, which records 168 victims of sexual violation, twenty among whom have died since the riots in mid May 1998.
The KPIKD signalled the role of a network of planning and perpetrators who set up a systematic and organized assault, as a modus operandi which also applied to the wrecking and burning, as well as the rape and sexual violation of Chinese women. Colonel FX Bachtiar who received the statement of position, promised to pass it on soon to Minister of Defense/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto.