Police order officers accused of harassment<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
Four girls questioned by the police here Friday supported
\ntheir friend's earlier allegation that the head of Denpasar
\npublic order officer had harassed them sexually in a recent raid
\non residents' identity cards.<\/p>\n
Lilis Fatimah, Ida Wayiyah, Sri Indahyani and Yulia Berliani
\nwho lived in a rented house in Denpasar were rounded up by the
\ncity public order officers together with their two other friends
\nElly Pujiati and Sandra Desiana for not possessing city
\nresidential identity cards.<\/p>\n
Elly, 24, who like all her friends hailed from West Java,
\nreported her case to the police early on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Police have summoned the head Public Order Office Anak Agung
\nNgurah Gede Astawa and his staff Gede Eka Sucita for questioning
\nat the city police headquarters on Monday.<\/p>\n
Elly's formal complaint stated that several public order
\nconducted a raid on residents' identity cards in Pulau Indah
\nstreet, where Elly and her friends lived.<\/p>\n
Having no Denpasar resident identity cards, the officers
\nrounded them up and sent them to the Office's building at Cempaka
\nstreet.<\/p>\n
On the pretext of verifying body tattoos or hiding illegal
\ndrugs on their body, Astawa and two other officers, ordered the
\ngirls to enter a room one by one at 11:00 at night.<\/p>\n
\"In the room they asked me to take off my outer garments, and
\nwhen I did it they later asked me to take off my bra and
\nunderwear, which I vehemently refused to do. They then asked me
\nto stretch and flip my bra, and later my underwear, so they would
\nbe able to see what inside it, to make sure that I did not stash
\nanything illegal inside it, they said,\" Elly told the police
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Elly, who was released at the same night, filed a complaint to
\nthe police the next morning.<\/p>\n
The Forum Perempuan Mitra Kasih Bali, a women activists non-
\ngovernment-organization, issued a statement on Friday condemning
\nthe action of the public order officers and called for strong
\nlegal action against them.<\/p>\n
Ngurah Gede Astawa said he and his men only wanted to make
\nsure that the girls did not carry any drugs and that it was the
\ngirls who voluntarily took off their clothes.<\/p>\n
Puspayoga, Astawa's superior who is the Mayor of Denpasar said
\nthat the girls' complaints were the risks his men had to face in
\ntheir job.<\/p>\n
\"They were only doing their jobs to uphold the local law on
\nidentity cards raid. On the sexual harassment issue, I left it
\ncompletely to the hand of the police,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Denpasar police vowed to thoroughly investigate the case.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that the case involves a high-ranking government
\nofficial will not, in any way, hamper our investigation. We are
\ncommitted to seriously, and thoroughly, examine this case,\"
\nDenpasar police detectives chief Commissioner Budi Wasono said
\nFriday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-order-officers-accused-of-harassment-1447893297",
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