Jakarta – Human rights activists demanded Wednesday that parties responsible for excessive violence in Talangsari, Lampung, in 1989 be held accountable through the ongoing investigation into the tragedy.
"There should be some people taking responsibility over this case," executive director of the Center for Democracy and Human Right Studies Asmara Nababan said during a discussion of the book Talangsari 1989: The witnesses and victims of human rights violations in the Lampung Tragedy.
Established by the Human Rights Commission in 2001, the first team to begin investigating the case did not start work until 2005 and made no significant advances in its inquiry except for the recording of testimonies from 49 witnesses, both victims and their relatives. A second team took over the case from the first earlier this year.
"Neither of the teams have worked seriously to solve this case because they are worried about the reaction from the people responsible for the tragedy," Asmara said.
According to Asmara, all military personnel in positions of authority around 1989 should be called to give statements. "From Hendropriyono, who was the Lampung military commander, and Sunardi, who was the South Sumatra regional military commander, to Try Sutrisno, who was commander of the Armed Forces at that time," he said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the current investigation team, Zoemrotin K. Susilo, expressed pessimism over the team's chance of completing the investigation before the mid-August deadline.
"We have had no difficulties in getting testimonies from victims and their relatives, but we have never succeeded in getting testimonies from the military personnel in charge of the area at that time," she said.
The Talangsari incident occurred Feb. 7, 1989, in Cihideung hamlet, Talangsari village, Rajabasa Lama district, Central Lampung (now part of East Lampung regency).
A battalion of Army soldiers equipped with assault rifles from the Garuda Hitam Military Command in Lampung reportedly besieged Cihideung at dawn. Many civilians were killed, wounded or went missing as a result of the attack. Soldiers burned houses and detained villagers in the regency and in areas around provincial military commands.
Even though reliable data on the exact number of victims is nonexistent, it is believed that hundreds were killed in the incident, most of whom were women and children.
"The Talangsari incident can be called a massacre just like what happened in Santa Cruz, Dili, in 1991, and it is only one in a series of human rights violations that happened during the New Order regime," Asmara said.
The massacre was aimed at wiping out those who had joined dissident groups led by Warsidi, which the Soeharto regime labeled as "communist Islamist", he added.
Some victims, or relatives of victims, have chosen to absolve military personnel involved in the incident through an Islamic reconciliatory settlement known as Islah, while others have attempted to resolve the matter through legal channels.
Joko Widodo, whose wife and child were killed in the tragedy, said he is indifferent as to whether the case is solved. "I just want to live peacefully with Islam and speak the truth about the incident," he said.