Police drop all charges against driver blamed for bus explosion<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta\/Indramayu<\/p>\n
The government has blamed crew members for the recent bus
\nexplosion in Indramayu, which killed at least 13 people, but the
\nlocal police released them of any charges.<\/p>\n
J.A. Barata, spokesman for the Director General of Land
\nTransportation at the Ministry of Transportation, said the bus
\nexplosion was a legal matter because passenger buses were barred
\nfrom transporting explosives.<\/p>\n
\"In terms of legal responsibility, the crew members of buses
\nare assumed to know whether passengers' luggage is harmful or
\nnot,\" he told The Jakarta Post by telephone here on Monday.<\/p>\n
At least 13 people were killed and many others seriously
\ninjured in a bus explosion in Legok village, Lohbener subdistrict
\nlast week. The explosion, which destroyed the bus, was allegedly
\ncaused by five boxes of firecrackers stored inside the vehicle's
\nluggage compartment. The bus exploded and caught fire on its way
\nfrom Cirebon to Merak in Banten.<\/p>\n
Barata said the government was still considering whether to
\nimpose penalties against the bus firm employing the driver after
\nthe police completed its investigation of the case.<\/p>\n
He cited that according to Law No. 41\/1993 on land
\ntransportation, explosive substances are only allowed aboard
\nspecial transportation.<\/p>\n
The law also stipulates that a transportation firm's license
\ncan be revoked if it hires an unqualified driver.<\/p>\n
Barata rejected the idea that the government should take
\nresponsibility for the incident.<\/p>\n
\"It's impossible for us to check every passenger on every
\npassenger bus every day. Our job is to issue licenses on whether
\npublic transportation meet required standards, and to issue
\nregulations on public transportation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society
\nSuyono Dikun opposed Barata's explanation, saying not only the
\nowner and crew of the bus, but also the government was in charge
\nof issuing operating licenses and other vehicle ownership
\ndocuments and should be held responsible for the explosion.<\/p>\n
\"The directorate general for land transportation must bear
\nresponsibility because it has failed to provide safety assurances
\nto the public,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indramayu Police Chief Supt. Eko Hadi Sutedjo said
\nthe bus driver Darsim and his two aides Gendut and Samsuri, had
\nbeen released by the police because the police lacked sufficient
\nevidence to arrest them and bring the case to court.<\/p>\n
He cited Nui, a passenger believed to be the owner of the
\nfirecrackers, who was killed in the incident.<\/p>\n
\"No one is being held as suspects, the case is closed,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Under Emergency Law No 12\/1951, transporting explosives is
\nillegal.<\/p>\n
It carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty, a life
\nsentence or 20 years in jail.<\/p>\n
However, Eko said the police were still investigating the
\ncause of the bus explosion. He added there was a possibility the
\nexplosion occurred in the bus's fuel tank.<\/p>",
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