Trisakti and Semanggi Cases Still Alive
Tuesday, 16 May, 2006 | 13:43 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The families of the Trisakti and Semanggi victims still hope for justice. The House of Representatives’ (DPR) Legal Commission intends to re-open and re-investigate the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedy cases occurring in the era demanding reform in 1998-1999. “We have sent a recommendation to the DPR leader to schedule decision-making at the plenary session as regards the Trisakti and Semanggi cases,” Trimedya Panjaitan, Chairman of the DPR Legal Commission from Indonesia’s Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told Tempo at the parliament complex yesterday.

According to Trimedya, the recommendation was sent so that at the plenary session they will be able to make a decision on how to solve these cases. “The cases will either be solved by forming a special committee or by returning them to the Legal Commission,” he explained.

A member of DPR Legal Commission, Gayus Lumbuun, has a similar opinion. He wants the cases that took twenty victims-- twelve students and eight civilians-- to be scrutinized again. However, the decision to continue investigation on Trisakti and Semanggi must be made at a plenary session. “It considers the recommendation in the previous period that states there were not any serious human rights violations,” he said.

According to Gayus, serious human rights violations were instead discovered in the cases. They were found after evaluating the incoming reports. “So we have concluded that there were violations,” he said.

About five years ago, a Special Committee for Trisakti and Semanggi at the DPR concluded there were not any serious human rights violations. So the human rights ad hoc trial was not held.

A member of the DPR Legal Commission from PDI-P, Yasonna Laoly, said the political decision from the recommendation of the previous period had become a current problem. “So there must be a new political decision regarding the cases from the DPR,” she said.

DPR Chairman, Agung Laksono, insisted that serious human rights violations were not found in the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies, based on the recommendation issued by the last period's special committee. “The possibility of re-opening the cases must be through agreement by all DPR factions,” said Agung.

Before, the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedy cases were re-submitted to the DPR Consultative Assembly for the follow-up decision. The Consultative Assembly’s decision was then to submit the matters back to the Legal Commission regarding the follow-up.

The Legal Commission also planned to investigate the cases by calling the parties involved, asking for testimony and input, for example from the National Commission for Human Rights and the victims' parents. In addition, the Legal Commission investigated the scenes to collect more concrete evidence.

Meanwhile, the parent of one of Semanggi II victims, Maria Katharina Sumarsih, intends to keep fighting so that Trisakti and Semanggi cases can be brought to the human rights ad hoc court. “We will urge that a Presidential Decision be issued to hold a human rights ad hoc trial and that the law of supremacy be enforced in Indonesia,” said the mother of B.R. Norma Irmawan.

It is planned that the demands will be delivered to DPR Chairman and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the demonstration on May 18.

Wahyudin Fahmi