Jakarta – Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights has urged police to investigate the mysterious disappearances of two dissidents early last month, an English-language daily reported Tuesday.

According to a Jakarta Post report, members of the commission said Monday the disappearances of Pius Lustrilanang, 30, and Desmond Mahesa, 33, were most unusual and need to be investigated.

Lustrilanang is secretary general of the loose Siaga alliance, which supports political opposition figures Megawati Sukarnoputri and Amien Rais, while Mahesa is director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation.

The police and the military have been carefully monitoring dissidents' activities in the run-up to President Suharto's unopposed election Tuesday to a seventh five-year term of office.

Commission officials said the police and military have not even bothered to respond to letters of inquiry sent to them by the commission on two occasions – Feb. 12 and March 5.

Activists have said they suspect that military intelligence agents were behind the disappearances.

According to Mahesa's associates, eight agents visited his office Feb. 2, the day before he disappeared, and left after speaking with him. He arrived for work the next day but was not seen again after leaving the office.

Lustrilanang was reportedly last seen Feb. 4 when he visited a relative at a Jakarta hospital.

His mother, Fransisca Sri Haryatni, reportedly went to the commission's Jakarta headquarters Monday to ask about her son's whereabouts.

"I just want to know whether my son is still alive and where he is now. If he is already dead, I want to pray for his soul," the Jakarta Post quoted her as saying.

The commission, which is now in its fourth year of operation, has actively undertaken investigations into suspected human rights violations and publicized its independent findings and recommendations.

Although it is government-appointed, the commission is known for its independent investigations of human rights issues.

But it lacks enforcement powers, has limited resources and is occasionally subjected to government pressure. The government has tended to ignore some of its findings, while responding slowly to other findings.