5 Indonesian citizens killed by PDRM

Fadli of The Jakarta Post, Batam

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) expects to conduct a joint investigation with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, or Suhakam, to look into the killing of five Indonesian citizens by members of the Royal Malaysian Police.

The Indonesian government has been criticized for its seemingly lax response to the issue, amid already low levels of public approval of its efforts to protect Indonesian citizens overseas.

Komnas HAM commissioner Johny Nelson Simanjuntak said that the commission might go to Malaysia to help the investigation along. “If need be, we will go to Malaysia as we have done in similar cases earlier. However, the incident also has not yet been completely resolved. We again urge the government to provide intensive protection for citizens overseas,” said Johny.

According to him, Komnas HAM will communicate with Suhakam about the shooting.

Although Komnas HAM has no authority to investigate the case in Malaysia, Suhakam expressed its willingness to conduct a joint investigation with Komnas HAM, a move the Indonesian rights body appreciated.

“We will definitely communicate with Suhakam. If they want to conduct a joint investigation, we would be very pleased, but in many cases, they had been unwilling to do so due to a lack of authority. The case still has many loopholes,” said Johny.

It was reported earlier that five Indonesians, identified as Jhony, Osnan, Hamid, Diden and Mahno, were shot by Malaysian police in Perak, Malaysia, on Friday, Sept. 7. They were allegedly members of a gang that specialized in the burglary of luxurious homes in Penang.

Johny said that the government should not be hasty to conclude that the Indonesian citizens were criminals and the case had been resolved, because such a conclusion might greatly simplifies the real issue.

Komnas HAM learned about the shooting the day it happened, though relatives of the victims only received information about it two days later, on Sept. 9.

The wives of the victims struggled to get accurate information on the fate of their husbands and only received a formal reply on Sept. 13 from an Indonesian Embassy officer.

“I think what the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia had done is part of our poor and inappropriate citizens’ protection communication system. Relatives of the victims have asked us many things, such as whether it was true their husbands were shot in a robbery they were accused of taking part in, how the shooting was carried out and why they were shot,” said Johnny.

“We urge the Indonesian government to ask the Malaysian government for a comprehensive chronology of events surrounding the shooting,” he added.

Johny said the remains of the victims must be examined to prove their organs were not taken or traded without approval from the family.

Komnas HAM also received reports that the victims’ had no history of criminal involvement.