Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung has denied knowing of – and much less ordering – the kidnapping of more than 20 Indonesian pro-reform activists, press reports said Saturday.

Tanjung, former Armed Forces (ABRI) commander, also denied ex-president Suharto's involvement in the case, despite the fact that he was at the time ABRI commander-in-chief, the Kompas daily reported. "I did not know about the matter (kidnapping). I found out after I became coordinating minister for political and security affairs, when I received reports from Wiranto (his successor as ABRI commander)," Kompas quoted Tanjung as saying."

The kidnappings took place in the months before the fall of former president Suharto on May 21, and many, including the kidnap victims themselves, believed Suharto and Tanjung must have been aware of what was going on. But asked about Suharto's involvement, Tanjung said: "No... no... it didn't get that far. Commander-in-chief is just a symbolic title."

The government of Suharto's successor, his former vice president, B.J. Habibie, has come under mounting pressure to get to the bottom of the case since the country's military chief Wiranto admitted that the special forces were involved in the abductions. Habibie has said he will leave prosecution of the special forces (Kopassus) offenders to the military justice system.

On Thursday the military said a total of 11 Kopassus men had been arrested, and one colonel, the commander of special operations Unit IV, had been quizzed about the case. But there was no indication that the military was preparing to question Suharto's son-in-law, Lieutenant-General Prabowo Subianto, who commanded the Kopassus at the time of the abductions.

Prabowo, who was shunted aside to head the military's staff and command school shortly after Suharto resigned, said last week that he was "ready to take responsibility" if proof could be found that the abduction order originated from him.

Wiranto has said the Kopassus men arrested were acting under orders to track down organizations trying to undermine the government of Suharto, and that they had committed "procedural mistakes" in carrying out their orders.

Meanwhile Tanjung admitted that a general operational order for Kopassus did come from the ABRI commander, but repeated Wiranto's statement that procedural mistakes had taken place. "Not everybody has access to (Kopassus). It is below the ABRI commander, but there are impenetrable things there. Operational orders do come from the ABRI commander. If there were no orders, (Kopassus) nevertheless exceeded, (members involved) are the wrong."