E23 UNCLASSIFIED RELEASED IN FULL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-01 JAKART 03079 01 OF 02 PTQ9117 031310Z ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO AMAD-01 ARA-01 CIAB-OO SMEC-OO DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO ED-01 EB-OO FBIE-OO HHS-01 H-01 TEDE-OO INR-OO IO-OO LAB-01 L-01 NSCE-OO OCS-03 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PRS-OO SCT-OO SP-OO P-OO CIO-OO STR-OO TRSE-OO T-OO oSIE-OO MB-OO DRL-04 G-OO MR -OO NFAT-OO SAS-OO ------------------44DB42 031311Z 38 P 031306Z JUN 98 FM AJ 1EMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1936 INFO AMEMBASSY BEIJING ASEAl l COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USMISSION GENEVA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI INFO LOG-OO CA-02 DS-OO SSA-01 NSAB-OO PM-OO SS-OO PRM-01 CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003079 CINCPAC FOR FPA TEARE STATE FOR EAP PIMBS EB OMA AND INR IL E O 12958 DECL 06 03 2008 TAGS PGOV PHUM SOCI ELAB CASC PINR ID SUBJECT SKEPTICISM ABOUT INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT KILLINGS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 JAKART 03079 01 OF 02 031310Z TEDSTATESDEPARTMENTOFSTATE REVIEW AUTHORITY CHARLES E LAHIGUERA CLA SSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED DATE CASE ID 26 JUN 2006 200502473 UNCLASSIFIED ACQ-01 SRPP-OO IM-01 ADS OO PA-OO SSO-OO DSCC-OO 033W 1 UNCLASSIFIED U CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS ED MCWILLIAMS REASON 1 5 D 2 C SUMMARY THE MILITARY WILL SHORTLY OPEN A TRIAL OF 18 POLICE OFFICIALS IT CLAIMS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHOOTING DEATHS OF FOUR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT TRISAKTI UNIVERSITY MAY 12 THERE IS SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE MILITARY CLAIM THAT ONLY POLICE WERE INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING A WELL-RESPECTED U S JOURNALIST HAS RESEARCHED THE INCIDENT AND SHARED FINDINGS WITH US WHICH LEND SUPPORT TO SKEPTICS THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION REPORT ON THE SUBJECT DUE TO BE RELEASED SHORTLY WILL BE READ CAREFULLY FOR ANY DIFFERENCES FROM THE MILITARY'S CONCLUSIONS END SUMMARY 3 U NATIONAL MILITARY POLICE CORPS COMMANDER MAJOR GENERAL SYAMSU DJALAL TOLD MEDIA JUN 2 THAT WEST JAKARTA POLICE CHIEF LTC TIMOR PRADOPO AND 17 OTHER POLICE MAY FACE PRISON TERMS OF BETWEEN SEVEN AND 12 YEARS IF THE Y ARE CONVICTED OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE DEATH OF FOUR TRISAKTI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SHOT DEAD ON CAMPUS ON MARCH 12 THE 18 WILL BE TRIED UNDER ARTICLE 170 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE FOR ASSAULTI G PEOPLE WITH VIOLENCE THE MILITARY COURT TRIAL WHICH BEGINS JUNE 6 HAS ALREADY DRAWN CRITICISM CRITICS INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE ALLEGED PERPETRATORS MIGHT BE SCAPEGOATS AND THAT ARMY PERSONNEL MAY IN FACT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED 4 U LENDING CREDENCE TO THE SKEPTICS ARE THE RESULTS OF A DETAILED REVIEW OF THE INCIDENT UNDERTAKEN BY A WASHINGTON POST JOURNALIST WHO SHARED SOME OF HIS FINDINGS WITH POLCOUNS JUNE 2 INTERVIEWS WITH THREE OF THE FOUR FAMILIES OF THE DECEASED AND WITH MEDICAL PERSONNEL WHO RECEIVED THE BODIES AFTER THE SHOOTING CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL JAKART 03079 01 OF 02 031310Z -PAGE 03 INDICATED THAT ALL FOUR HAD BEEN KILLED BY SHOTS WHICH WERE FIRED AT THE UPPER TORSO ALL OF THE WOUNDS SHOWED THAT THE SHOTS WERE FIRED FROM POINT MUCH HIGHER THAN THE VICTIM WITH A DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY FROM ENTRY TO EXIT WOUNDS THREE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED STUDENTS STILL IN HOSPITAL ALSO WERE HIT BY BULLETS WHICH SHOWED A DISTINCT DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY FROM ENTRY TO EXIT THE MOST SERIOUSLY WOUNDED STUDENT WHO WAS STRUCK' IN THE UPPER BACK FOR EXAMPLE SUFFERED SEVER KIDNEY DAMAGE FROM THAT ROUND 5 C BASED ON DISCUSSIONS WITH S TUDENTS ON THE SCENE AT THE UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED TIME OF THE SHOOTING THE VICTIMS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY TARGETED ONE WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST AS HE STOOD ON STEPS DIRECTING STUDENTS TO TAKE SHELTER IN THE BUILDING BEHIND HIM ANOTHER STUDENT WAS SHOT AND KILLED WHEN HE STOPPED TO WASH TEAR GAS OUT OF HIS EYES OVER AN OPEN PHONE LINE TO AN OFFICE AT THE UNIVERSITY AN EMBASSY OFFICER HEARD SLOW DELIBERATE SINGLE SHOT GUN FIRE WHICH CONTINUED FOR OVER AN HOUR 6 C THE JOURNALIST WHO VISITED THE PURPORTED SITE OF THOSE FIRING THE LETHAL ROUNDS AN OVERPASS IN FRONT OF THE CAMPUS SPECULATED THAT SITE DID NOT PROVIDE THE ELEVATION NECESSARY TO PRODUCE SUCH A DISTINCT DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY HE SAID THAT HE WAS THEREFORE INCLINED TO GIVE SOME WEIGHT TO STUDENT ACCOUNTS THAT A HELICOPTER HAD DROPPED ARMED PERSONNEL UNTO AN UNFINISHED BUILDING AT THE EDGE OF THE CAMPUS BY ROPES AND THAT THE FIRING WHICH KILLED FOUR STUDENTS AND INJURED OTHERS HAD COME FROM THIS MO'CH HIGHER POINT THE REPORTER ADDED THAT THE FIELD OF FIRE WAS MO'CH LESS OBSTRUCTED THAN' OFFERED BY THE OVERPASS SITE 7 C THE REPORTER ECHOED CLAIMS BY MEMBERS OF THE INDONESIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THAT EFFORTS TO INTERVIEW STUDENTS WHO CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTI PAGE 04 JAKART 03079 01 OF 02 031310Z WERE SAID TO HAVE WITNESSED FIRING FROM ATOP THE BUILDING WERE PRECLUDED BECAUSE THE STUDENTS HAD LEFT THE UNIVERSITY AFTER UNEXPLAINED THREATS THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ALSO COMPLAINED PUBLICLY ABOUT THREATS AND PRESSURE ON THE STUDENTS AND CALLED ON THE MILITARY TO GUARANTEE THE SECURITY OF ALL POTENTIAL WITNESSES 8 C THE REPORTER SAID HE INTERVIEWED ONE FAMILY WHICH RECOUNTED A STRANGE VISIT FROM LT GEN PRABOWO HE CAME TO EXPRESS HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OVER THE LOSS OF THEIR SON AND THEN ASKED THAT A KORAN BE BROUGHT TO HIM HE THEN RAISED IT ABOVE HIS HEAD AND SWORE THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE KILLINGS THE TWO OTHER BEREAVED FAMILIES WHICH THE REPORTER VISITED SAID THAT PRABOWO ADJUTANTS HAD VISITED THEM TO SAY THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE A VISIT FROM THE PRABOWO BUT HE NEVER APPEARED 9 C COMMENT THE REPORTED HELICOPTER INSERTION OF A FIRING TEAM ONTO A BUILDING ADJACENT TO THE TRISAKTI CAMPUS IS ONLY ONE UNCLASSIFIED _ - -- --_ _ -_ _--------- - ------------------- UNCLASSIFIED OF A NUMBER OF PIECES OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE LEADING SOME TO SUSP CT THAT THE SPECIAL FORCES KOPAS SUS PLAYED A ROLE IN THE KILLINGS KOPAS SUS KOSTRAD KODAM JAYA AND POLICE HAVE BEEN OBSERVED PRACTICING SUCH INSERTIONS AT VARIOUS POINTS IN THE CITY RECENTLY MOST FREQUENTLY JUST PRIOR TO THE MARCH 1-11 SESSION OF THE PEOPLE r S CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY MPR ON THE OTHER HAND OTHER SECURITY UNITS ALSO HAVE THIS CAPABILITY CONFIDENTIAL NNNNPTQ9118 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-01 INFO JAKART 03079 02 OF 02 PTQ9118 031310Z ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO AMAD-01 ARA-01 SMEC-OO DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO ClAE-OO EB-OO ED-01 FBIE-OO HHS-01 H-01 L-01 ADS-OO INR-OO IO-OO LAB-01 OCS-03 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-OO SP-OO SSO-OO P-OO CIO-OO SCT-OO TRSE-OO T-OO USIE-OO PMB-OO DSCC-OO G-OO MR-OO NFAT-OO SAS-OO 032W ------------------44DB43 031311Z 38 P ' 031306Z JUN 98 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1937 INFO AMEMBASSY BEIJING ASEAN COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USMISSION GENEVA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI LOG-OO CA-02 DS-OO TEDE-OO NSCE-OO PRS-OO STR-OO DRL-04 UNCLASSIFIED ACQ-01 SRPP-OO SSA-ol NSAE-OO PM-OO SS-OO PRM-01 UNCLASSIFIED CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 02 Of 02 JAKARTA 003079 o CINCPAC FOR FPA TEARE STATE FOR EAP PIMBS EB OMA AND INR IL E O 12958 DECL 06 03 2008 TAGS PGOV PHUM SOCI ELAB CASC PINR ID SUBJECT SKEPTICISM ABOUT ' INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT KILLINGS CONFIDENTI CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 JAKART 03079 02 OF 02 031310Z 10 C THE CREDIBILITY OF THE MILITARY INVESTIGATION WILL DEPEND ON HOW CLOSELY IT TRACKS WITH THE REPORT OF THE INDONESIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION WHICH IS EXPECTED TO RELEASE CONCLUSIONS OF ITS OWN INVESTIGATION SOON ANY MAJOR DAYLIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO REPORTS PARTICULARLY ON THE ISSUE OF WHETHER ARMY PERSONNEL WERE INVOLVED WILL REDOUND AGAINST THE MILITARY AND ITS CREDIBILITY ROY UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED CONEIDENT IAI- UNCLASSIFIED This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu