Jakarta – Police say former Army chief Hartono signed the order for the 1996 attack on the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Hartono and five other retired generals, including ex-president Soeharto, will soon be summoned for questioning over their alleged roles in the attack, police said yesterday.
National Police spokesman Brigadier General Dadang Garnida said the six are scheduled to be questioned between May 17-26, as police hope to wrap up the official investigation of the case by the end of the month.
Police Director of General Crimes, Brigadier General Engkeesman R. Hillep, on Wednesday said Hartono issued a document ordering the raid on the PDI headquarters on July 27, 1996.
Retired Lieutenant General Soeyono, a former Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of general affairs, told Mandiri.com the document was signed by Hartono, a close friend of Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana.
Apart from Soeharto and Hartono, the other retired generals due to be questioned are former Jakarta Military chief-of-staff Lieutenant General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former home affairs minister Lieutenant General Yogie Suardi Memed, former Armed Forces (ABRI) commander General Feisal Tanjung, and former National Police chief Dibyo Widodo.
Garnida told reporters yesterday that Soeharto, a five-star general, would be questioned "if possible". Soeharto has this year avoided being interrogated by state prosecutors in a corruption investigation, because his doctors and lawyers claim he is too sick to answer any questions. Garnida said police prosecutors expect to process the results of their investigation over May 26-30.
Hired thugs backed by the police and military on July 27, 1996, stormed the headquarters of the PDI on Jalan Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, to expel loyalists of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnputri, who had been dumped as party chairwoman the previous month at a government-organized congress.
The violent takeover sparked massive deadly riots. The exact death toll has never been confirmed, but reports range from five to "scores" of fatalities.
The investigation into the unrest was delayed earlier this week because Memed defied a summons from police on Wednesday. "Sorry about the delay, but there are witnesses who have to be re- questioned, and we have to adjust the questioning schedule to the times that the generals are available," said Garnida.
Much of the official investigation into the July 27 incident has focused on former members of the government-backed faction of the PDI. Garnida said police have sent dossiers on three suspects to the Attorney General's Office. The three are: former PDI leader Soerjadi, and two alleged tough guys who incited the attack – M. Tanjung and Jonathan Marpaung.
The police spokesman said Megawati, current chairwoman of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and vice president, on Wednesday night met with National Police Deputy Chief Lieutenant General S. Bimantoro, as well as with the chiefs of the Air Force, Navy and Army, to discuss the July 27 case. However, Garnida refused to reveal the results of the meeting.