'Our sense of humanity is already dead'<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The \"public show\" displayed by National Police chief Gen. Da'i
\nBachtiar and Bali bombing suspect Amrozi during their face-to-
\nface meeting on Wednesday has sparked outrage from analysts here,
\nwho lament what they called an insult to humanity.<\/p>\n
They said on Thursday the way the police chief and a man who
\nconfessed to helping plan the killing of 190 people shook hands,
\nlaughed and posed for photographs, cast doubt over the
\nseriousness of the country's security authorities in
\ninvestigating the bomb attack.<\/p>\n
The one-hour meeting at the Bali police headquarters on
\nWednesday also drew criticism that Da'i was trying to take credit
\nfor the breakthrough in the case, away from his subordinates, who
\nare investigating the case currently under international
\nspotlight.<\/p>\n
\"I am disappointed with the appearance of Da'i together with
\nAmrozi as they looked like friends. It is one of the worst
\nsignals for Indonesia in dealing with the bombing suspect,\" M.
\nsaid Riefqi Muna, a defense analyst with the Research Institute
\nfor Democracy and Peace (RIDeP).<\/p>\n
Also, socio-political analyst Fachry Ali called on Thursday
\nthe meeting \"a publicly open theater in which Amrozi was the main
\nactor, not Da'i\".<\/p>\n
Australians too were outraged by the images of the smiling,
\nwaving bomber -- televised across Australia and splashed across
\nfront pages.<\/p>\n
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer lashed out at the
\nimages as \"ugly images\" that would distress relatives of the over
\n190 people killed.<\/p>\n
\"I looked at him on television this morning, you know laughing
\nand joking and waving, and I think to myself, how would I feel if
\none of my children, or another one of my family members or a
\nloved one had been killed?\" Downer told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"I think these people are so bloodthirsty. Their sort of ugly,
\nsneering, amused attitude at the slaughter of innocent people,
\nit's just horrific that there are people like that.\"<\/p>\n
Australian opposition leader Simon Crean described Amrozi's
\npublic interrogation as bizarre and insensitive.<\/p>\n
Such jovial greetings were also bestowed on high-profile
\nmurder suspect Hutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra, (later found guilty
\nsentenced to 15 years) when he was hugged by broad-smiling
\nJakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb as the former was
\nbrought to the police headquarters following his capture after a
\nyear on the run last November. Afterwards, both Sofjan and Tommy
\nappeared in a joint press conference which looked more like a
\nwelcome party for Tommy who Sofjan had once called, \"a very
\ndangerous man\".<\/p>\n
Riefqi described the gesture by Da'i in the meeting as \"part
\nof the police's lack of professionalism\" in the inquiry of the
\ndevastating Bali attack.<\/p>\n
\"By the laughter displayed at the event, it does not help the
\nprocess of punishing violent offenders, because a person who
\nconfesses guilt in a crime can still be received like a friend by
\nthe police. This shows that our sense of humanity is already
\ndead,\" Riefqi told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The meeting, in which Da'i questioned Amrozi -- the only
\nsuspect in custody so far for the terrorist attack on Bali -- was
\nheld in a room with windows, allowing scores of journalists and
\nothers to look on. Amrozi had his handcuffs taken off and wore
\nhis detention uniform during the questioning.<\/p>\n
Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, head of the multinational team
\ninvestigating the case, and his spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward
\nAritonang were also there. However, they were not involved in the
\ndialog, instead Da'i was accompanied by his close aide Brig. Gen.
\nTimbul Silaen, who was recently acquitted of human rights
\nviolations in East Timor by an ad hoc court.<\/p>\n
In a news conference held after Wednesday's showcase with
\nAmrozi, the police chief also appeared alone to speak to a crowd
\nof waiting journalists.<\/p>\n
Questions were swirling over why Da'i was not accompanied at
\nthe event by Pastika and Aritonang they were the police officers
\nmost responsible for the Bali bombing inquiry.<\/p>\n
Da'i defended on Thursday his controversial gesture in the
\nquestioning, saying it was aimed at dispelling suspicion that the
\npolice were orchestrating the Bali bombing probe.<\/p>\n
\"We had to be relaxed and use a psychological method in the
\ninterrogation so Amrozi would speak out,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The police general said he met the suspect to show to the
\npublic that Amrozi was indeed the man the police had hunted for
\nand that the arrest was not manipulated.<\/p>\n
Riefqi said Da'i should have involved the investigators in
\ncharge in order to show that the probe was serious and not just a
\ncircus.<\/p>\n
\"It is the same as the old security officers who always wanted
\nto steal the credit from their subordinates, especially in major
\ncriminal cases,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"That's common within our security authorities. Remember the
\ncase of Tommy,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Riefqi said the meeting was probably aimed at showing to the
\npeople that the police treated Amrozi properly in the
\ninvestigation following widespread public suspicion and
\nspeculation that the East Javanese suspect was forced to admit to
\nthe bombing.<\/p>\n
\"But the way they presented it was absurd,\" he stressed.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/our-sense-of-humanity-is-already-dead-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }