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PEOPLE'S COURT TRIES SUHARTO IN ABSENTIA

Detik.com jamesbalowski@yahoo.com

Hundreds of victims of the New Order regime will witness a hearing into the crimes committed by former President Suharto between 1965 and 1998. The "Tribunal Court" hearing will be held on February 13 at the Proclamation Monument in Central Jakarta in front of the statue of Indonesia's founding President Sukarno. The Try Suharto People's Association (Keras) is holding the Tribunal Court because the government has failed to try Suharto.

According to Borang, public relations officer Borang, the court would use the Anglo Saxon legal system to try Suharto in absentia adding that this system is cleaner than the legal system currently in force in Indonesia. "We will also use a trial in absentia because even without the presence of the defendant [much] can still be revealed", said Borang. Although they would have judges, a prosecutor and jury, "We won't use a lawyer. The thing is we're afraid they'll be bribed", he added.

Labour activist testifies against Suharto

Around 100 victims of the New Order have testified in a special hearing into the crimes committed by former President Suharto. Labour Party general chairperson Mukhtar Pakpahan was one of the witnesses in the "trail in absentia". Pakpahan testified about his experiences after he was arrested when Suharto was in power. The former chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI), Sri Bintang Pamungkas will also give evidence.

The trial was held exactly like a normal hearing with a judge from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, a prosecutor from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and a jury made up of student representatives. Three chairs were
provided for the defendant and witnesses. A box with a picture of Suharto was placed on one of the chairs.

In addition to holding the hearing, activists also placed hundreds of wooden "tombstones" on the monument grounds, each with a name of a victim who died as a result of the brutality of the Suharto administration. These included the names of victims from the Tanjung Priok shooting, labour activist Marsinah, student activists abducted in 1996-97, the July 27 attack on the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters, the Lampung massacre and ethic rioting in Kalimantan.

The five sins of Suharto

Although he is now dead, it does not mean that Suharto's sins will be forgotten so easily. This was conveyed by Sri Bintang Pamungkas, who is calling on the government to try the late President Suharto.

The five sins of Suharto said Pamungkas: firstly, the many people killed during the New Order period including the victims of the Talang Sari case, the Tanjung Priok shootings along with the military operations in Aceh, West Papua and East Timor.

Second, Indonesia's foreign debt which is around 80 billion dollars US, the interest for which is still being paid by the government.
Third, the massive damage to Indonesia's atural resources and forests that were divided by Suharto's family and cronies.
Fourth, the rampant corruption starting with the Cendana (Suharto's Central Jakarta neighborhood, the relatives of the Suharto clan) family, the executive, legislative and judicial wings of government, which as spread to society in general. "What's more, military figures also took part in the corruption", asserted Bintang.
Finally the centralised, militaristic and authoritarian system of administration that resulted in the total depletion of regional wealth by the central government.

Pamungkas said he agreed with the action at the Proclamation monument because at least it can remind the present government to resolve the Suharto case, because up until now no government has been able to fully investigate the crimes committed by Suharto.