'Defiant' police officer goes on hunger strike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One of eight police officers being detained by
\nNational Police on charges of insubordination, has gone on a
\nhunger strike because of unfair treatment, one of the officers'
\n40 lawyers said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Suci Madio said the officer, Adj. Sr. Comr. Herman
\nKotto started his hunger strike on Tuesday morning. He is being
\ndetained with his colleagues at Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob)
\nHeadquarters in Kelapa Dua, south of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Herman is protesting the unfair treatment that he and his
\ncolleagues are receiving from the National Police,\" Suci told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He said his client was earlier promised that he would be
\nquestioned over insubordination charges in a hall at National
\nPolice Headquarters in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
However, Herman, along with his six colleagues, was arrested
\nafter he arrived at police headquarters on July 25 and has been
\ndetained in a detention center at the Brimob headquarters with
\nother suspects charged with general crimes.<\/p>\n
One other officer, Sr. Comr. Alfons Loemau, who refused to
\nappear for questioning, was arrested at his house in Pondok Karya
\npolice housing complex, South Jakarta, on the following day.<\/p>\n
The lawyer revealed that Herman, who was examined by a medical
\ndoctor when his lawyers visited him on Tuesday evening, was weak.<\/p>\n
Besides Herman and Alfons, the other six officers being
\ndetained are Sr. Comr. Bambang Widodo, Sr. Comr. Parlindungan
\nSinaga, Sr. Comr. Nurdin Umar, Sr. Comr. Badaruzzaman Haidir, Sr.
\nComr. Banjar Nahor and Sr. Comr. Salihin.<\/p>\n
Alfons and Badaruzzaman were rushed from the Brimob detention
\ncenter to Kramat Jati Police Hospital on Tuesday, suffering from
\ntyphoid and a high fever respectively.<\/p>\n
Alfons, through his lawyers, filed a lawsuit at the South
\nJakarta District Court on Monday against National Police Chief
\nGen. Surojo Bimantoro, rejecting the arrest and detention.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi
\nconfirmed Herman's hunger strike but refused to provide further
\ndetails.<\/p>\n
\"The doctor will examine him, but we don't want the strike
\nissue to be blown out of proportion,\" Didi told the Post on
\nWednesday, adding that the suspect was under \"police legal
\nsupervision\".<\/p>\n
He suggested that the issue had been blown out of proportion
\nby lawyers to achieve a political aim.<\/p>\n
\"It (the negative reports) are counterproductive to our
\nsupervision of the officers,\" Didi said.<\/p>\n
The eight officers allegedly led some 150 middle-ranking
\npolice officers to stage a revolt against Bimantoro on July 9
\nafter he refused to hand over his post to Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail.<\/p>\n
They had declared the police chief disobedient and demanded
\nthat he comply with presidential orders, issued by then president
\nAbdurrahman Wahid, to vacate his post. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/defiant-police-officer-goes-on-hunger-strike-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}