'Parties behind Zarima's escape face punishment'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo
\nwarned yesterday any parties that plotted Zarima's escape and
\nknew her whereabouts before she was arrested in Houston on
\nTuesday (Jakarta time) face punishment.<\/p>\n
Dibyo said police were gathering evidence about the roles of
\ncertain parties, including Zarima's relatives and her alleged
\nsyndicate members, in her escape to the U.S.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old woman, who escaped from Jakarta police last
\nAugust, was arrested in a supermarket in Houston, U.S. on Monday
\n(Houston time).<\/p>\n
She was first arrested in Jakarta when police found 29,677
\nEcstasy pills, worth at least Rp 1.78 billion (US$757,700), in
\nher house in West Jakarta on Aug. 7.<\/p>\n
Reports from Jakarta police detectives in Houston say Zarima's
\nyounger sister, Rovina, and her husband, Thomas Edmond Zani, an
\nAmerican who worked at the Indonesian Consulate General's office
\nin Texas, might have played a role in hiding the suspect.<\/p>\n
Previously, her father Mirafsur, a businessman whose
\nwhereabouts is unknown, was also wanted for his alleged role in
\nplanning his daughter's escape from a police escort.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said if Thomas was
\ninvolved he must be punished.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata said
\nwhoever was found to have played a role in Zarima's escape, both
\nhere and overseas, faced punishment.<\/p>\n
\"Hiding a fugitive is against the law,\" Hamami said on a
\nseparate occasion yesterday.<\/p>\n
Dibyo Widodo said police were still gathering evidence on
\nother parties' involvement in Zarima's escape.<\/p>\n
Police were also waiting for Zarima's confession. She has been
\nin Houston for a month. \"Just wait until she arrives here,\" the
\nthree-star general said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta police said the woman was accused of violating U.S.
\nimmigration rules. \"She is now in Immigration custody at Houston
\nairport,\" a police source said.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Singgih and Hamami Nata have expressed their
\noptimism about bringing Zarima home for trial.<\/p>\n
However, police said they had received no sign from U.S.
\nauthorities about the possibility of bringing Zarima back to
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We're still negotiating with the U.S. authorities through the
\nvarious channels available, even though there is no extradition
\ntreaty between Indonesia and the States,\" Hamami said.<\/p>\n
The police's efforts have received strong support from the
\nforeign affairs ministry.<\/p>\n
The government would make every attempt -- despite the lack of
\nan extradition treaty -- \"to bring Zarima back to Indonesia for
\ntrial\", Minister Alatas said.<\/p>\n
Dibyo said Zarima's presence in Jakarta \"was just a matter of
\ntime\".<\/p>\n
Hamami said Zarima was being investigated in the U.S. for
\nentering with an illegal entry permit.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the trial and serving her jail term in the
\nStates, Zarima is expected to be brought to Jakarta for trial.<\/p>\n
According to preliminary reports sent by the five Jakarta
\ndetectives involved in Zarima's arrest, the woman stayed at an
\napartment belonging to the her sister's family and only moved to
\nher own room at Days Inn & Suites Galleria on Monday.<\/p>\n
The reports say Zarima's sister Rovina and her husband gave
\nfalse information about Zarima's whereabouts to the Jakarta
\npolice and FBI.<\/p>\n
Rovina was also found to have overstayed her U.S. permit and
\nwas handcuffed by the U.S. police. When asked to phone Zarima
\nThomas used certain words which police believed were codes to
\ntell his sister-in-law that police were tracking her, the reports
\nsay.<\/p>\n
Shortly after police arrived at Zarima's apartment, they were
\ntold she left the building half an hour earlier.<\/p>\n
But the four cars carrying Jakarta detectives and FBI and U.S.
\nimmigration officers raced around the block.<\/p>\n
Several minutes later the officers saw a Yellow Taxi cab
\ndriving back and forth at a nearby supermarket as if the driver
\nwas looking for a person who had called a taxi.<\/p>\n
Based on the tips from the driver, the officers rushed into
\nthe supermarket to find the woman who called the taxi.<\/p>\n
They found Zarima hiding behind a clothes rack a few minutes
\nlater. (bsr\/mds)<\/p>",
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