Police start hasty probe into `Tempo' attack amid pressure<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Bowing to public and political pressure, the police started on
\nMonday an investigation into the attack on the Tempo news weekly
\nby a group of people representing the interests of businessman
\nTomy Winata, but possible legal loopholes were clear to be seen.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta Police investigators questioned four of the
\nfive persons summoned as suspects for assaulting Tempo
\njournalists following their raucous demonstration at the
\nmagazine's offices on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, two weeks
\nago.<\/p>\n
As of late afternoon, the police were still seeking answers to
\n20 questions they had posed to suspects David alias A Miauw,
\nSepti, Hidayat Lukman alias Teddy Uban, and Yosef. Another
\nsuspect, Abdul Haris Sumbi, failed to turn up for unknown
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
According to the head of the suspects' legal team, Farhat
\nAbbas, the police originally laid charges under Article 352 of
\nthe Criminal Code on minor assault, which carries a maximum of
\nthree-months imprisonment.<\/p>\n
During the investigation, said Farhat, the police decided to
\npress an additional charge under the Criminal Code's malleable
\nArticle 335 on the use of violence to prevent others from
\nexercising their freedom. This article carries a term of one year
\nin jail.<\/p>\n
However, the second charge could backfire on the police for,
\nas is stated in Article 335(2), it requires a complaint from the
\nvictim.<\/p>\n
\"The police investigators said the proof of the second charge
\nis based on their findings, and not on the victims' statements.
\nTherefore, we demand justice,\" Farhat asserted.<\/p>\n
Moreover, he told reporters, should there have been assaults
\non Tempo journalists, then the police who witnessed them should
\nhave arrested the culprits at the time.<\/p>\n
None of the police officers reached were willing to comment.<\/p>\n
There was no explanation as to why the suspects were not also
\ncharged under Article 4 of the press law, which carries a maximum
\nsentence of two years in prison or a fine of Rp 500 million
\n(US$55,500).<\/p>\n
On March 8, around 200 people claiming to be employees of the
\nArtha Graha Group, which is owned by Tomy, and members of the
\nBanteng Muda Indonesia (BMI), a youth organization associated
\nwith the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nheld a rally in front of the Tempo offices.<\/p>\n
According to journalist Ahmad Taufik, who received the
\nrepresentatives, they tried to force him to reveal the source of
\nan article on Tomy's alleged involvement in last month's fire in
\nthe Tanah Abang market.<\/p>\n
A number of persons then took Tempo chief editor Bambang
\nHarymurti, Taufik, and editor Karaniya Dharmasaputra to the
\nCentral Jakarta police station, while others occupied the Tempo
\noffices with riot police looking on in the parking lot.<\/p>\n
David reportedly hit Bambang in the stomach, kicked him and
\nslapped him on the face in the chief of detective's office, which
\nwas also full of police detectives. Karaniya, who tried to defend
\nBambang, was also slapped on the face.<\/p>\n
David claimed he gave money to the police and was the one who
\nhad provided the lights in the police station. He also claimed he
\nhad a list of reporters to whom he paid a total of Rp 150 million
\nper month. He even said he had funded Sutiyoso's reelection as
\ngovernor.<\/p>\n
Before entering the interview room, David told reporters that
\nthe media had engaged in a deliberate attempt to distort the
\nfacts.<\/p>",
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