Wahid accuses forces of abuses

Police beat a man protesting against new labour laws

President Abdurrahman Wahid has accused the Indonesian police and army of wide ranging human rights abuses.

Speaking at an international workshop on crimes against humanity on Wednesday, President Wahid admitted that the military and police had a track record of abuse.

Police fire teargas at fuel price protestors in Jakarta

International and local rights groups have repeatedly accused Indonesian security forces of numerous atrocities, including torturing and killing civilians, especially in the troubled regions of Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya.

Mr Wahid later travelled to his home province in East Java, where he issued another strong warning that he will not surrender to political opponents who are seeking his impeachment.

Deteriorating human rights

Addressing the human rights workshop in Jakarta, the president said there had been "a huge amount of violations by people holding positions" in the security forces.

"Indeed there were a lot of [cases] of human rights abuse carried out by officers in the past, maybe they still exist until now," Mr Wahid admitted.

The military are suspected of rights abuses in troubled Aceh

But he added that the armed forces had been "used by rogue elements" to carry out the abuses, and that the institutions themselves were not guilty.

In Amnesty International's annual report in May, the organisation said human rights in Indonesia had deteriorated further last year.

President Wahid has attempted to rein in the once all-powerful military since he came to power in 1999 by reducing its involvement in politics.

Violent supporters

But while the president has accused the military of human rights abuses, BBC Jakarta correspondent Richard Galpin says that Mr Wahid seems unwilling to condemn in clear terms the recent riots by his supporters protesting against attempts to impeach him.

On Wednesday, Mr Wahid visited one of the towns that was worst affected by last month's violence when parliament voted to go ahead with impeachment proceedings against the president.

Speaking in Pasaruan, a town in his home province in East Java, the president warned that he will not surrender to his political opponents.

Our correspondent says that observers believe the threat of violence by Mr Wahid's supporters is a useful weapon in his battle against impeachment.