Police to Investigate 1965 Tragedy Seminar at YLBHI Building

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The police will investigate the 1965 tragedy seminar held on Saturday at Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) office in YLBHI building.

“We will respond to a report against the organizer of the event held that night, namely the Yayasan 65,” Jakarta Metro Police Criminal Investigation Unit director Sr. Comr. Nico Afinta said yesterday.

Nico said that they will also investigate individuals who staged a protest outside the permissible time limit. “I believe that the law should apply equally to all…” he said.

On Sunday night, September 17, LBH Jakarta office was besieged by a mob who suspected that a discussion on the banned Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) was hosted in the building. The protest ended with a clash with police.

Read: WALHI: Banning Seminar of 1965 Tragedy Threatens Democracy

The police have named 7 individuals following the incident.

Nico found that the organizer of had failed to secure a permit to hold the seminar. State officials and police had earlier advised the organizer to suspend the event and prepare for an evacuation.

Police said that they had agreed to meet the request of Yayasan 65 and LBH Jakarta to evacuate from Komnas HAM building to Jakarta Police headquarters. Police had tried their best to avoid a clash with the mob.

Nico said that police had acted fairly by allowing a protest to be staged in front of the YLBHI building. However, he has regretted that the protesters disobeyed police’s instruction to disperse.

FRISKI RIANA