Endang Purwanti, Jakarta – An Ad Hoc Team from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is currently searching for 13 pro-democracy activists that disappeared between 1997 and 1998.

“Four of the people among them disappeared during the May 1998 riots”, said the head of the team Ruswiati Suryasaputra during a press conference at the Cemara Gallery in Jakarta yesterday.

The missing persons are Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) activists Petrus Bima Anugrah, Herman Hendrawan, Suyat and Wiji Thukul, pro-Megawati Indonesian Democratic Party activists Yani Afri and Sonny, Dedi Hamdun from the United Development Party, Noval Al Katiri from the Mega-Star-People Coalition, Ismail (Dedi Hamdun’s driver), M Yusuf, Ucok Siahaan, Hendra Hambali, Yadin Muhidin and Abdul Nasser.

According to Suryasaputra, his team has already obtained conformation that a body found in the Plaosan forests in the Magetan regency of Central Java in 1998 is Gilang, a PRD activist from Solo.

[Translated by James Balowski.]