Sudarto vows to defend Govt.

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, APRIL 19. The Indonesian Army today came under fire for an alleged pledge by its chief to shield the present Government against any political move to topple it, while the country's first trial of military personnel for human rights violations began in the troubled Aceh province.

The controversy over certain comments ascribed to the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, acquired a sense of urgency on account of the President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid's running feud with his political opponents and those in the centres of parliamentary authority. Gen. Sudarto was reported to have said at a meeting with some religious leaders that the collective military forces (TNI) would fight to thwart any attempt at overthrowing the President.

The chairman of a key commission of the House of Representatives took exception to the Army Chief's comments. The line of criticism was that the Army and its chief could not take any political stand.

On the human rights front, a trial began today in Bandah Aceh, the capital of a separatism-infested province, in respect of 24 soldiers and a civilian who were alleged to have been responsible for the murder of 58 Acehnese last year.

On yet another front, the second son of the former President, Gen. Suharto, was today questioned by the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta over allegations of corrupt practices by the disgraced former leader.

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Section  : International
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