Conspiracy in Munir's death: Probe<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The death of respected human rights activist Munir last September
\nwas very likely the result of a conspiracy, a government-
\nsanctioned fact finding team said.<\/p>\n
Brig. Gen. Marsudi Hanafi, who heads the team assigned to
\nprobe Munir's untimely death, said on Thursday the suspicion
\nfollowed irregularities found in the management of national flag
\ncarrier Garuda Indonesia in response to the probe.<\/p>\n
\"There is hard evidence that the murder of Munir is a
\nconspiracy. There is no way it was committed by individuals,\"
\nMarsudi told the press after reporting the results of their
\npreliminary investigation to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
The team, he added, uncovered indications of the involvement
\nof certain Garuda employees and a Garuda director in the case,
\nwhich occurred aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
\"They have issued some letters to cover up some strange facts
\nrelated to the murder,\" said Marsudi.<\/p>\n
Munir was found dead a few hours before his plane landed in
\nAmsterdam. An autopsy by Dutch authorities found excessive
\namounts of arsenic in his body, strongly indicating that he had
\nbeen murdered.<\/p>\n
Another team member, rights activist Asmara Nababan, said the
\nteam also questioned a claim by PT Angkasa Pura that operates
\nSoekarno-Hatta Airport in Cengkareng that it did not possess
\nclosed-circuit television (CCTV) videotapes of the airport for
\nSept. 6, one day before Munir's death.<\/p>\n
\"There are 700 spots covered by CCTV at the airport, which are
\nhandled by two operators, so how come they said they did not have
\nthe tapes. It's either that management at Angkasa Pura and Garuda
\nis extremely poor, or that they are part of the conspiracy,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Marsudi said the team had recommended that the National Police
\nquestion the management of Garuda and Angkasa Pura.<\/p>\n
Asked why the team only focused on civilian institutions that
\ndid not have an interest in the rights activist, Marsudi replied:
\n\"It's only a preliminary report. We'll think about it later if we
\ncomplete this job.\"<\/p>\n
Asmara said both the team and the police would track down the
\nparty behind Garuda's and Angkasa Pura's decision not to
\ncooperate with them in investigating Munir's murder.<\/p>\n
The team has until May to complete their investigation into
\nthe case. Police have not named any suspects as yet.<\/p>\n
Munir was known as an outspoken critic of the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) and its part in past gross human rights
\nviolations.<\/p>\n
Standing on stairs near the press room, National Intelligence
\nAgency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar closely watched the media
\nconference. He refused to comment afterwards.<\/p>\n
State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the President fully
\nsupported the investigation and ordered all state institutions to
\nassist the team.<\/p>\n
\"The President asserts that all state institutions, including
\nBIN, must provide data or accept requests for interviews whenever
\nit might be needed by the team,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Garuda last month canceled a planned reconstruction of the
\nevents surrounding Munir's murder, saying that several of its
\ncabin crews were on duty.<\/p>\n
The reconstruction, using the same Garuda GA 974 and the same
\ncabin crews who flew Munir and other passengers to Amsterdam, was
\nexpected to shed the light on the murder of the rights
\ncampaigner.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/conspiracy-in-munirs-death-probe-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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