Aceh governor ready to testify in bomb case<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh said he is ready to
\nprovide police with a statement in relation to their
\ninvestigation of the recent bomb explosion at an Acehnese student
\ndormitory in Central Jakarta, which claimed three lives.<\/p>\n
\"If the Jakarta Police summons me for clarification, I will
\nagree and fulfill the summons to make it clear that the bombing
\nhad nothing to do with me,\" he said in Banda Aceh on Saturday.<\/p>\n
City police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Yacob had earlier stated
\nthat they would question the Aceh governor as his name was
\nmentioned in a document belonging to the Aceh Referendum
\nInformation Center (SIRA).<\/p>\n
Police suspect that Puteh is a donor of SIRA, a non-
\ngovernmental organization who police believe are connected to
\nalleged Aceh separatists responsible for manufacturing bombs at
\nthe dormitory. The allegation was strongly rejected by the
\norganization's coordinator in Jakarta, Faisal Saifuddin.<\/p>\n
The main suspect in the bombing is Taufik Abdullah, the
\ndormitory caretaker.<\/p>\n
Puteh said that he had been contacted by Taufik, who planned
\nto organize a charity music night in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Taufik Abdullah wanted to hold a charity concert in Jakarta
\nand the proceeds would be donated to Aceh. He planned to
\ncooperate with some Acehnese women, but they rejected the offer
\nbecause they had already organized a fund-raising event,\" Puteh
\nwas quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Upon the women's suggestion, the organizing committee then
\ncontacted the governor. It was Taufik who sent the proposal
\nthrough the Aceh representative office in Jakarta, according to
\nPuteh.<\/p>\n
He said he had not met anyone from the charity night
\norganizing committee.<\/p>\n
\"True, Taufik had once tried to contact me in a hotel in
\nJakarta. But he did not appear until 12 p.m. that night and until
\ntoday I have never met Taufik Abdullah,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He underlined that he had not approved the charity night
\nproposal, let alone provided financial assistance.<\/p>\n
\"I have not seen it. Until today, I have not made any
\nrecommendation to the organizing committee,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Adang
\nRochana said on Sunday that the police had yet to decide on
\nwhether the Acehnese governor would be questioned in the capital
\nor in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"In any case, we are waiting for a summons from the home
\naffairs minister (Surjadi Soedirdja) to question the governor.
\nOnce that is cleared, we can decide where the questioning should
\ntake place -- with the Jakarta Police or the Aceh Police,\" Adang
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that the Jakarta Police would make every effort to
\narrest those who funded the manufacturers of the bombs, one of
\nwhom was reportedly killed during the Guntur blast on May 10,
\nalong with two other men.<\/p>\n
\"We have no way of knowing if there were others involved who
\nare still in the capital. That is why we need to question all
\nthose listed on the document, including the governor and later
\nother top officials whose names were found among the ruins of the
\nGuntur blast,\" Adang said.<\/p>\n
The city police last week questioned musician Fariz Rustam
\nMunaf, whose name was also mentioned in a document seized as
\nevidence in the investigation.<\/p>\n
Fariz told police that Taufik was a bass player in his band
\nand that he was a respectable man.<\/p>\n
He admitted that he had sent a letter to Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) commander Tengku Abdullah Syafe'i, as he wanted to meet him
\nregarding his new album, the proceeds of which would be donated
\nto Acehnese refugees. He said he had asked Taufik to translate
\nthe letter into Acehnese. (ylt\/sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-governor-ready-to-testify-in-bomb-case-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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