Jakarta – Witness Syarifin Maloko has admitted to obtaining data on the disposal of bodies from the Tanjung Priok1 incident which were dumped over the Thousand Islands and Snake Island [off the coast of Jakarta]. This data was obtained from a document sent by an army helicopter pilot which stated that on the night after the Tanjung Priok incident he received instructions from his superior to dispose of the bodies of Tanjung Priok victims over the islands.

This was related in Maloko’s testimony at a hearing into the Tanjung Priok gross human rights violations before the defendant, Sutrisno Mascung, a former commander of the III Yon Arhanudse 06 Regiment, on Monday March 29 at the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta.

The hearing, which was chaired by presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro, heard only the testimony of Maloko who was one of the preachers who give a lecture during a religious recitation on the night of the Tanjung Priok incident.

At yesterday’s hearing, Maloko stated that as a result of the Tanjung Priok incident he was tried and accused of subversion and sentenced to 10 years jail. He also said he had initiated the establishment of National Solidarity for the Tanjung Priok Incident (Sontak) and had conducted investigations and uncovered data on the incident.

Included in the data he obtained was a document sent by a helicopter pilot on the transfer of the bodies of Tanjung Priok victims to the Thousand Islands. “On the instructions of his superior, he flew the bodies of the Tanjung Priok victims as many as three times to and from the Thousand Islands. There were [bodies] which were thrown into the sea and [others] which were thrown out over Snake Island”. (SON)

Notes:

1. On 12 September 1984, dozens of people were killed and injured when troops fired on Muslim demonstrators in the port district of Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

[Translated by James Balowski.]