The statement by former general Slamet Singgih on Tuesday about a secret meeting to plan the infamous July 27, 1996, attack on the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was applauded by local activists.

Mugiyanto Sipin, the head of the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared, said that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) should follow up on the revelation.

"I am pleasantly surprised that finally someone who was directly involved in the planning of the attack speaks up," Mugiyanto told the Jakarta Globe. "Singgih's statement shows that the attack was systematically done and it was a huge human rights violations therefore the Komnas HAM must act on it."

The July 27 attack was seen as the first step toward the reformation movement in Indonesia that peaked in the 1998 revolution. Five people died, 16 people were listed as missing and 143 were wounded during the attack, however, Mugiyanto said Komnas HAM was not persistent enough in digging deeper.

"What Singgih said was a confirmation of what we had all secretly suspected, that the attack was very well prepared. Now the ball is in Komnas HAM's court, they have to be brave in investigating the people whose names were mentioned by Singgih," he said.

"The attack was a criminal case and not a civil case. Human rights were violated that day but Komnas HAM as the institution with the authority to push the case to be tried in a public court didn't do that."

He also regretted Megawati's lack of enthusiasm in pushing for a thorough investigation. "If the government still fails to reveal the truth behind the July 27 attack, we will be failing as a democratic country."