Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Family members of victims of the bloody Talangsari tragedy in East Lampung on Wednesday demanded the government resolve the 1989 case.
They also demanded the government return their political, social and cultural rights, as well as provide them compensation.
Victims and their families have been living in a state of despair for the past 19 years, following the tragedy that reportedly took the lives of hundreds of civilians.
Talangsari has resembled a lifeless village since the incident, deprived of basic facilities such as electricity. The road to the village is in a state of disrepair, despite being located only around five kilometers from the Sumatra inter-provincial highway.
"The legal settlement so far has been very slow despite the fact that the tragedy occurred 19 years ago and the country has seen a change in presidency a number of times. We still live in adversity," said a victim, Azwar Kaili, 73, on Wednesday.
"Our demands are simple. Just settle the human rights case and compensate the victims. President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono should have also ended impunity for the perpetrators," he said.
The Talangsari tragedy, also known as the Warsidi incident, took place Feb. 7, 1989, in Cihideung hamlet in Rajabasa Lama district, Central Lampung (now part of East Lampung).
Soldiers from Lampung's Garuda Hitam Military Command laid siege to the village at dawn, leaving hundreds of followers of Islamic religious leader Warsidi dead.
The military action occurred following the discovery of Way Jepara military commander Capt. Sukiman's body the previous day near the 3.5-hectare religious complex overseen by Warsidi. The captain's body was covered with arrow and slash wounds.
Local military leaders and district officials at the time believed the religious group was part of a movement to form the Indonesia Islamic State (NII). Warsidi was reportedly a student of Abdullah Sungkar, a key NII figure who went into exile in Malaysia.
The Lampung Students Solidarity Committee recorded 246 people died in the attack. Official government reports put the death toll at 27.
Impunity division coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Chrisbiantoro, said the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) should do more than simply investigate the loss of lives in the Talangsari incident.
"It should also probe other damages incurred by victims, such as confiscation of homes, land and livestock, forceful eviction and stigmatization of victims' family members who have encountered problems in applying for identity cards and jobs," said Chrisbiantoro.
According to Chrisbiantoro, Presidential Decree No. 3/2000 stipulated compensation and rehabilitation for victims of gross human rights violations.
"However, Article 4 of the decree states that victims of gross human rights violations are entitled to compensation and rehabilitation only if the human rights tribunal has issued a ruling as legal strength. But we know it is not easy to hold trials on gross human rights cases in Indonesia," he said.
He said the Talangsari incident had yet to be included on the national political agenda, despite Indonesia being a signatory of the Geneva Convention on Human Rights.
"That's because Komnas HAM has not been given the authority to probe and prosecute, unlike the Corruption Eradication Commission, thus it is less potent," he said.
Komnas HAM has had trouble obtaining testimony from former high-ranking military officers who are thought to be connected to the Talangsari tragedy. The only person to testify is the former head of the defunct internal security agency, Admiral Sudomo.