Munir's death probe: How far can it go?<\/p>\n
Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It's been seven months since rights activist Munir Said Thalib,
\npopularly known as Munir, died of arsenic poisoning on a flight
\nto the Netherlands, while the government-sanctioned fact-finding
\nteam and the police have yet to complete the inquiry into the
\ncase.<\/p>\n
A autopsy report by the Dutch police revealed that the
\n38-year-old activist had nearly 500 milligrams of arsenic in his
\nbody, four times the lethal dose.<\/p>\n
Munir was an outspoken critic of the government and the
\nmilitary, accusing the latter of human rights violations in the
\ntroubled provinces of Papua and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and of
\nrunning a criminal network involved in illegal logging and drug
\ntrafficking.<\/p>\n
The prolonged investigation and the level of involvement of
\nthe murder suspects who are considered the \"executors\" rather
\nthan the masterminds behind the murder is obvious proof that the
\nteam and the police find it difficult to uncover the truth and\/or
\nconduct the investigation.<\/p>\n
The police have only named three Garuda (national flag
\ncarrier) officials, who were on the Sept. 7, 2004 flight, as
\nsuspects. They are pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who was
\non board but off-duty during the flight, and flight attendants
\nDedi Iriyanto and Yeti Susmaryati.<\/p>\n
The only lead is that it is widely rumored that Pollycarpus
\nwas once attached to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), however
\nthis has yet to be substantiated.<\/p>\n
Without ignoring the possibility of the involvement of other
\norganizations or individuals in Munir's death, the reason why the
\nfocus of attention has moved to BIN is understandable because of
\nits predecessor's notorious track record, that is, the State
\nIntelligence Coordinating Agency -- BAKIN.<\/p>\n
Apart from the alleged BIN connection, House of
\nRepresentatives member Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) faction had hinted that, at the very least, intelligence
\nofficers were involved in the murder. Djoko quoted the progress
\nreport of the fact-finding team, which indicated the involvement
\nof a number of former senior intelligence officers.<\/p>\n
In response to the progress in the investigation, BIN chairman
\nSyamsir Siregar has instructed three BIN officers to assist the
\npolice and the investigating team. Syamsir, however, has declined
\nto reveal the identity of the three officers, leaving the public
\nguessing about their capability and contribution to the success
\nof the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n
The investigation, however, is still far from completion as
\neven if the finding of the investigating team later uncovers a
\nlink between the death of Munir and the intelligence agency, it
\nstill has to find out whether the agency was involved as an
\ninstitution or only individuals linked to the agency.<\/p>\n
If we turn back the clock to the date of Munir's death, the
\ncase occurred when the agency was still under the leadership of
\nGen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono. Hendro, as the general is
\npopularly known, tendered his resignation on Oct. 20, 2004 when
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono took his oath as the country's new
\npresident replacing Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
It is common practice in any intelligence organization that no
\nmatter how covert an intelligence operation may be, the chief of
\nthe intelligence organization must be aware of it.<\/p>\n
It is also the responsibility of the agency chief to report to
\nthe president any significant or high-profile activities of the
\nagency. The country's constitution places the BIN chief under the
\npresident, meaning that he reports directly to the president.<\/p>\n
It is also not impossible then that the president -- Megawati
\n-- also knew about the case.<\/p>\n
It is therefore a challenge for the police and the
\ninvestigating team to uncover the truth and reveal it to the
\npublic. It is also a challenge for the three BIN officers
\nassisting the investigation to show that their inclusion in the
\ninvestigation is fruitful.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer for The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/munirs-death-probe-how-far-can-it-go-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }