Jakarta - Eighteen soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, are to face court martial for suspected involvement in the May 12th killing of four university students, a senior police officer said yesterday.
Jakarta's military police chief, Col Hendarji, listed the 18 soldiers only by their initials and rank, and said they would be tried by a military court on June 6th. Their units were not disclosed, nor did the list make clear whether the accused were from military units or from the police, which in Indonesia is part of the armed forces.
The highest ranked among eight officers to be tried was a lieutenant colonel. Six others were non-commissioned officers, while the remaining four were privates, Col Hendarji said.
Col Hendarji had earlier said 19 soldiers were suspected of involvement in the shooting of the four students during a peaceful demonstration at the Trisakti University in Jakarta on May 12th. The students had been demonstrating for the resignation of President Suharto, who stepped down on May 21st under mounting pressure.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's economy is showing signs of crumbling further with the number of jobless soaring to 15.4 million and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast to shrink by more than 10 per cent this year, officials said.