Ahead of watchdog report, Indonesian president admits to country's human rights violation record

Jakarta

Indonesia president Joko Widodo on Wednesday made rare admissions about country's record of human rights violations and vowed to compensate victims and prevent similar human rights abuses from happening again in the future. The Indonesian president's comments were televised in which he acknowledged "with a clear mind and sincere heart" a total of 12 incidents categorised as gross human rights violations. The remarks come a day before Human Rights Watch's scheduled release of report on human rights conditions in over 100 countries. 

The human rights violations that Indonesian president acknowledged on Wednesday  reportedly occurred across the country from the northernmost province of Aceh to the easternmost province of Papua between the 1960s and early 2000s.

"I deeply regret it," Widodo said.

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"We are trying to recover the rights of victims in a fair and wise manner, without negating a judicial settlement," said Widodo, adding that he hopes his administration's efforts "can heal the wounds of the nation."

Indonesia, the largest and most populous country of southeast Asia has a long history of human rights violations. This includes the mass killings in 1965-1966 in "communist purge". The killings were reportedly targeted at the members of the Indonesian Communist Party, known by its Indonesia acronym PKI. 

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Southeast Asia's largest and most populous country has a long, checkered history on human rights that includes mass killings in 1965-1966, also known as the Indonesian communist purge. The killings and civil unrest primarily targeted members of the Indonesian Communist Party, known by its Indonesian acronym PKI.

"The protracted settlement of cases of past serious human rights violations has not only caused prolonged suffering for the victims but has also become a stumbling block for national political reconciliation for the government," the Asian Human Rights Commission said in a statement.

The group urged Widodo to continue to pursue truth and justice in all cases.

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