Garuda pilot investigated in Munir murder case<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
he government-sanctioned fact-finding team, which is
\n\"assisting\" the police investigators over the alleged murder of
\nhuman rights campaigner Munir, has asked for information from
\nintelligence agencies about a Garuda pilot, who they suspect
\ncould be working on behalf of another state institution.<\/p>\n
Rachland Nasidik, a director of human rights monitor Imparsial
\nand also a member of the team, said on Monday the information was
\nneeded because \"It seems he (the pilot) is not an ordinary pilot,
\nand we have heard that he carries a gun without a license.\"<\/p>\n
\"We (the team) are requesting a hearing with all chiefs of
\nintelligence units, including Samsir Siregar, to get a
\nclarification over the status of this suspicious pilot,\" Rachland
\nsaid, referring to Maj. Gen. (ret) Samsir Siregar who heads the
\nNational Intelligence Agency (BIN).<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully they can publicly explain whether or not any
\nintelligence institution was involved (in the alleged murder),\"
\nRachland said in a press conference.<\/p>\n
Rachland refused to name the pilot, but acknowledged that the
\nteam had already studied 11 dossiers of suspicious passengers and
\ncrew members of Garuda who were on the same flight as Munir from
\nJakarta to Amsterdam via Singapore on Sept. 7, 2004.<\/p>\n
Munir, who was a staunch critic of the military for its
\nalleged role in gross human rights abuses throughout the country,
\nwas believed to have been poisoned by arsenic during the Jakarta-
\nSingapore leg of his trip.<\/p>\n
Three Garuda pilots have testified to the police in relation
\nto the case.<\/p>\n
During the flight, Garuda had three pilots on board. One to
\nfly the airplane from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in
\nJakarta to Changi in Singapore. The other one continued the
\nflight to Amsterdam, while the third pilot was the one who
\ngreeted Munir on the flight and persuaded the activist to move
\nfrom economy class to business class during the Jakarta-Singapore
\nleg. (Previous press reports have identified this particular
\npilot as Policarpus)<\/p>\n
\"In mid December, we (the team) held a meeting with the police
\nteam and prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office to
\ndiscuss the issue. The police investigators have said that they
\nhave never issued a license allowing the pilot in question to own
\na gun.<\/p>\n
\"So, he must not be an ordinary pilot,\" Rachland added.<\/p>\n
From the outset, rights activists have speculated that Munir's
\ndeath was politically motivated. The activists pushed the
\ngovernment to set up the special team in a bid to speed up the
\ninvestigation process.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-pilot-investigated-in-munir-murder-case-1447893297",
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