Noegroho says sorry again for hospital attack<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman
\napologized on Friday for the disruption and damage caused to a
\npart of Jakarta Hospital in South Jakarta by military officers on
\nWednesday night.<\/p>\n
He told reporters that he deeply regretted the actions of the
\n50 military officers who were under a security operation led by
\nthe police chief and apologized for their actions.<\/p>\n
\"I'm so sorry. I've spoken to Dr. Wahyono, the hospital's
\ndirector, and told him how sorry I am,\" Noegroho told reporters
\nat city police headquarters.<\/p>\n
\"By Thursday afternoon, a police fact-finding team, supported
\nby city police detectives, intelligence officers and medical
\nofficers, started investigating this case.\"<\/p>\n
\"I have never said any of the military officers involved had
\ndone something right. I again apologize for their actions.\"<\/p>\n
Noegroho said while none of the officers were questioned so
\nfar, six of Jakarta Hospital's staff members were questioned on
\nFriday morning as witnesses to the incident.<\/p>\n
\"Let's see what will come out of it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Noegroho's public statement was contradictory to his statement
\non Thursday when he declared that neither the police nor the
\nmilitary could be condemned for the attack.<\/p>\n
\"That hospital protects people who have been destructive, and
\nit takes care of them. Why blame our police or the Army for what
\nthey did,\" Noegroho said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"I apologize for whatever damage was caused. But I still think
\nthat the hospital should not shelter people who are destructive,\"
\nthe officer said.<\/p>\n
Yet Noegroho's statement of apology was strongly criticized by
\npolitical observers and human rights campaigners.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib and Johannes Kristiadi of the
\nCenter for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said
\nNoegroho should be held accountable for the incident.<\/p>\n
\"Kapolri (National Police chief) Gen. Roesmanhadi must
\nimmediately take action against Pak Noegroho. It is a most
\nserious crime committed by those who are supposed to guarantee
\nour security. Nobody should stay quiet about this,\" Hasnan told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
Hasnan, the former ambassador to the United States, said to
\nhis knowledge he had never heard of \"a more cursed act\" anywhere
\nin the world and that the perpetrators deserved heavy punishment.<\/p>\n
He also suggested the hospital should seriously consider suing
\nthe city police.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Hospital on Jl. Sudirman suddenly turned into a war
\nzone on Wednesday at midnight when military officers ran amok,
\nsearching for suspected militant students hiding on the premises.<\/p>\n
The armed security personnel broke into the hospital's four-
\nstory administration building, broke the windows and doors and
\nfired several gas canisters into the basement.<\/p>\n
Four rooms used as the kitchen, administration, central
\nsterilization for surgical equipment and laundry were heavily
\ndamaged during the incident.<\/p>\n
Kristiadi separately said Wednesday night's act should not be
\nforgiven.<\/p>\n
\"The soldiers were not disciplined. The one responsible,
\nnamely the city police chief, should be strictly punished,\" he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
He said Roesmanhadi must replace the two-star general.<\/p>\n
\"If Roesmanhadi can't do it, then the new President of
\nIndonesia must step in and take action,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian public must demand that Noegroho and the 50
\nmilitary officers involved in the incident be tried by law. One
\nmust remember that whatever the situation, a soldier never acts
\non his own, but on the orders of his commander.\"<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on Noegroho's statement that the
\nhospital tended to offer shelter to destructive students,
\nKristiadi said that could not be made a reason.<\/p>\n
\"The hospital's staff members did not invite the students to
\ntake shelter in the hospital. It was the students who went to the
\nhospital to take shelter.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, Albert Hasibuan of the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights told reporters that police officers were actually
\nallowed to search for suspects on the hospital's premises.<\/p>\n
\"What they are forbidden to do is to cause damage to the
\nhospital or its property. The city police must pay for all the
\ndamage caused to the hospital and its property, and strict action
\nmust be taken against Noegroho,\" Albert said.<\/p>\n
Human rights lawyer Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said the
\nperpetrators of the crime must be brought to court.<\/p>\n
\"Hospitals and polyclinics, like prayer halls, are buildings
\nprotected by law. The perpetrators must be brought to court,\" she
\nsaid. (ylt)<\/p>",
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