Vaudine England, Jakarta – The release of 10 political prisoners after 33 years in jail said little about any government commitment to political freedom, historians and other former political detainees said yesterday.

The 10, jailed for their part in the alleged communist coup attempt of 1965, were freed late on Thursday.

"I'm glad for them of course," said Yoesoef Isak, editor of dissident Pramoedya Ananta Toer's still-banned books. But frankly speaking, in this case it's only the Government which takes benefit from the releases." Among those released were Abdul Latief, 72, a former army colonel, Boengkoes, 72, a former chief sergeant, Marsudi bin Marzuki, 72, a former sergeant, and Asep Suryaman, 73.

All the men had been sentenced to death for their perceived roles in the alleged coup attempt. Only Mr Latief had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment a few years ago.

Observers agreed with Justice Minister Muladi's statement that the men were too old and infirm to cause any trouble to the Government, and many are surprised it took so long for them to be freed.

At the same time, several younger pro-democracy activists are languishing in jail for exercising their right to freedom of speech during former president Suharto's rule. Demands for their release have so far been fended off by Mr Habibie's ministers.

And prisoners released over the years have yet to have full civil rights granted them, and are thus remaining unable to travel, to join any organisation or to reclaim their former homes.

Mr Muladi said the releases were meant to speed national reconciliation. But this appears unlikely until an honest look is taken at the events of 1965 and 1966 which propelled Mr Suharto to the presidency.

Any account of the alleged coup and its aftermath is peppered with "if" and "maybe", as most of the protagonists are dead through both judicial and extra-judicial killings.

The version promulgated by Mr Suharto's New Order government was that the Indonesian Communist Party tried to take over the government of founding president Sukarno, and the military, which Mr Suharto took charge of at the time, saved the nation from communism. Others have it that Mr Suharto himself organised the murder of six generals and then took control.

"That's the real problem, examining what really happened 33 years ago," said Mr Isak. "We talk so much of democracy, but we still do not live in a democratic society if we can't say 'I'm a communist', or 'I'm anti-communist'."