Police question TV, radio directors<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police questioned three news directors from two
\nprivate television stations and a radio station on Tuesday as
\npart of the investigation into the recording of a telephone
\nconversation believed to be between President B.J. Habibie and
\nAttorney General A.M. Ghalib.<\/p>\n
The three, who were summoned as witnesses to the Kebayoran
\nBaru police headquarters in South Jakarta, were Chrys Kelana of
\nRCTI, Azkarmin Zaini of ANteve and Susan Masmir of Sonora.<\/p>\n
Police also summoned a representative of SCTV, but he did not
\narrive.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Habibie reiterated on Tuesday that the tapping of a
\nprivate telephone conversation explicitly constituted a criminal
\nact and was also a violation of human rights.<\/p>\n
\"That is a crime... intellectual crime. How can we improve
\ndemocratization and reform if such an act is tolerated,\" he said
\nat the State Palace in a reception for North Sulawesi community
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
\"It seems to be a trivial case, but if it is tolerated, that
\nis the beginning of the end,\" he said, saying that only Armed
\nForces (ABRI) detectives with consent from the ABRI commander
\nwere permitted to monitor telephone communications for national
\nsecurity reasons.<\/p>\n
Minister of Defense and Security\/ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto
\nsaid on Tuesday the ABRI leadership had never given any
\ninstructions to tap the President's telephone communications.<\/p>\n
\"There have been no orders from the ABRI leadership, including
\nme, to tap the telephone conversations of the President,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He admitted that it was the responsibility of presidential
\nsecurity guards to safeguard the President's security, his
\nactivities and all facilities in the presidential office.
\nHowever, it was quite difficult to protect telephones from being
\ntapped, he said.<\/p>\n
Both Chrys Kelana of RCTI and Azkarmin of ANteve said after
\nthe police interrogation on Tuesday that the questions focused on
\nhow their stations came to be in possession of the cassettes
\ncontaining the conversation believed to be between Habibie and
\nGhalib, and also on considerations for its dissemination.<\/p>\n
\"But I think journalists have the right not to disclose their
\nsource to the police except in court. I'll only reveal it in the
\ncourtroom,\" Chrys told reporters after the two-hour questioning.<\/p>\n
Azkarmin also stressed that the public had the right to know
\nwhat was happening behind the government's slow investigation
\ninto former president Soeharto's illegal wealth.<\/p>\n
ANteve aired the whole conversation to prevent any
\nmisinterpretation by the public, Azkarmin said,<\/p>\n
\"If we picked only a small part of the conversation, we feared
\nthe interpretation may have been negative,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Susan said she had no idea why police summoned her as
\nher radio station did not broadcast any part of the recorded
\nconversation.<\/p>\n
\"I'm here because I want to ask police why they summoned us,\"
\nSusan, who was accompanied by her lawyer, Budi Carolus, said.<\/p>\n
She said she was given 15 questions, mostly about the source
\nof the cassettes.<\/p>\n
\"I just answered 'I don't know' because the truth was Sonora
\ndidn't know anything (about the issue being investigated),\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Police said they were focusing their probe into a possible
\nviolation of Articles 14 and 15 of Law No. 1\/1946 on the
\ndissemination of false information or news which stirs public
\nunrest. If convicted, the charge carries a maximum two year
\nprison term.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M.
\nSianipar said the questioning of the television and radio news
\ndirectors was expected to establish greater cooperation between
\nthe police and public to conclude the tapping incident.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that they (the witnesses) will cooperate with our
\npolice detectives to unravel the case as soon as possible,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said police would first try to locate the source of the
\ncassettes in the hope that this will lead to the suspects.<\/p>\n
Habibie did not deny having the conversation, but ordered an
\nimmediate investigation. Ghalib, however, denied the conversation
\never took place.<\/p>\n
When asked about the authenticity of the recorded voices,
\nTogar declined to answer, but said the investigation was still
\nunderway.<\/p>\n
Although the authenticity of the recordings has not been
\nofficially confirmed, a source close to Habibie said on Monday
\nthe President had confirmed the recorded voice was his. (emf\/rms)<\/p>",
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