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Military seeks new image

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Associated Press - August 19, 1998

Christopher Torchia, Jakarta – Clustered outside an Indonesian courthouse, students clapped when they heard a judge convict two policemen in the killings of campus protesters. Seconds later, they groaned in disappointment when the sentences were announced.

The Indonesian military judge sentenced the officers to four years and 10 months in prison for failing to control troops accused of gunning down four students at a pro-democracy rally in May. The crowd called the punishment too soft.

In a flurry of internal trials and probes, Indonesia's military – the most stable institution in a fragile land – has embarked on a campaign to atone for abuses under its authoritarian boss, former President Suharto. Critics, however, say the investigations are cosmetic, focusing largely on lower-ranking scapegoats in a bid to appease demands for reform.

The military is counseling patience, saying those who allegedly shot the student protesters earlier this year are under arrest and will be punished harshly if convicted.

The 490,000-member military, which includes the police, is harried by more than just a lousy image as Indonesia buckles under economic hardship. Budget cuts are diminishing the ability of the armed forces to keep order in this archipelago nation of 200 million people. Yet the military is still widely viewed as the only force that can preserve unity in a country ravaged by inflation and joblessness.

In Indonesia's new era of reform, the military is under scrutiny as never before. Anxious to shed a legacy of suppressing dissent, armed forces chief Gen. Wiranto has launched two high-profile investigations:

  • With two already convicted, another 16 police officers face trial in the shooting deaths of the student protesters at Jakarta's Trisakti University.
  • Ten members of Indonesia's special forces have been arrested for alleged involvement in the kidnapping and torture of more than two dozen activists. Also under investigation is Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, son-in-law of Suharto and former head of the elite unit.
  • But government opponents fear other commanders possibly linked to the kidnappings will not be targeted. And 14 activists remain missing and are feared dead.

    "Prabowo, of course, did not do it by himself. There was some networking by the army," said Amien Rais, a prominent opposition figure who believes civilian prosecutors should investigate the military's entire command structure. "This is only a political joke," he said. The panel of military officers investigating the abductions, known as the "honor council," has barred the public from hearings.

    A host of other accusations taint the military, including alleged arbitrary killings and torture in several provinces that harbor small bands of separatist rebels. In Aceh province, Wiranto publicly apologized for military abuses and said he would pull out some troops, as he has done in the former Portuguese colony of East Timor. The armed forces also faces calls to reduce its dominant role in politics and give up authority over the police.

    There has been little resistance within the military to housecleaning by Wiranto, who over the last few months has demoted or replaced rivals, including Prabowo. But some rank-and-file soldiers are bewildered that punishment is suddenly being meted out for actions condoned under Suharto.

    At a recent meeting, a group of retired military officers told Wiranto, once a personal adjutant to Suharto, that he was too slow with reforms. "You must have patience. I cannot accomplish this overnight," Wiranto was quoted as saying repeatedly by Hasnan Habib, an ex-army general and former ambassador to the US.

    Wiranto is respected as honest, but even he may end up a target. Human rights activists say he should explain why security forces reacted slowly to the May riots. A government panel, including military officials, is investigating whether elements in the armed forces incited the riots.

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