Jakarta – The House of Representatives does not need to launch an investigation into longstanding cases of involuntary disappearances, but instead should push the president to order a formal investigation into these crimes against humanity, a human rights group has said.

The Setara Institute said Wednesday that the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights' are enough to kickstart a formal investigation.

"Based on the rights commission's recommendation, the House should take a political move and urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to order the Attorney General's Office to begin the long awaited probe," Hendardi, Setara's director, said.

The House's own investigation would only extend the suffering of the families of the victims and unnecessarily sap lawmakers' energy, Hendardi added.

"Only through such a political move will the House make an impact and give encouragement to the families of the victims. The public can then expect the president to take initiative," he said.

In response to the rights commission's report on state involvement in the cases of involuntary disappearance, the House formed a special committee of inquiry into the abuses, which plans to summon a number of retired army generals for questioning in connection with the past crimes.

The former generals include Wiranto and Prabowo Subianto, who have lashed out at the House's move, saying it is politically motivated now that they are candidates in the 2009 presidential elections.

The House's special committee held a hearing on Wednesday with the families of people critical of the government who disappeared between 1997 and 1998 and are feared dead.

Chairman of the committee, Effendi Simbolon, said the lawmakers would require the families and non-governmental organization activists advocating for them to testify before the lawmakers.

"We hope the families and friends of the victims as well as those concerned about the cases will talk to us again," Effendi, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said.

A House special committee conducted a probe into alleged human rights violations in 1998, at the end of the New Order era, but it colcluded that there were no serious human rights violations.

Effendi said the committee he leads would work from scratch. "We have not got a clear picture about the crimes, as the previous committee investigating the cases had no responsibility to pass on their findings to us," he said.