SBY reneges on promise to Munir's widow<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoiled the commemoration of
\nrights defender Munir's birthday on Wednesday by shelving the
\nestablishment of an independent team to investigate his death.<\/p>\n
\"What a (birthday) gift he (Munir) got today! The
\ninvestigation into his death is facing uncertainty,\" Munir's
\nwidow Suciwati told rights activists gathering at the Indonesian
\nLegal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Munir's fellow rights activists gathered at the foundation to
\nmark what would have been Munir's 39th birthday on Wednesday.
\nMunir died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda flight from
\nJakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n
Police have spoken with dozens of Garuda employees and
\npassengers on the flight, but have not yet named any suspects.<\/p>\n
\"I should have stood here today with my husband to celebrate
\nhis birthday, but he is not here. He was murdered by people who
\nfelt annoyed by his activities,\" Suciwati said in her speech.<\/p>\n
Noted singer Iwan Fals also was at the event and sang a song
\nhe wrote and dedicated to Munir.<\/p>\n
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng announced on
\nWednesday that President Susilo saw no urgency in setting up an
\nindependent team to investigate Munir's death.<\/p>\n
\"The police investigators are moving in the right direction in
\ninvestigating the unusual death of Munir, and therefore there is
\nno need to set up an independent team for the time being,\" Andi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We have to give an opportunity to the police to finish the
\ncase and for now it is not necessary to set up another team,\" he
\nsaid after attending the inauguration of new State Intelligence
\nAgency (BIN) chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsir Siregar.<\/p>\n
Susilo had initially backed the establishment of an
\nindependent team during a meeting between himself and Suciwati.
\nThe president also asked rights activists to submit a draft,
\ndefining the structure and the people who would be in charge of
\nthe team. Several names, including Syafii Maarif, chairman of the
\ncountry's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadyah, have
\nbeen proposed to sit on the team's monitoring board.<\/p>\n
It was after the President held a limited Cabinet meeting late
\non Tuesday that he went back on his word to Munir's widow and
\ndropped the plan to set up an independent investigation team.<\/p>\n
Rights activists from Imparsial, an organization Munir founded
\nand led for several years, questioned Susilo's about-face.<\/p>\n
\"I guess the President is trying to make it look like this
\ncase was not a political assassination, but just an ordinary
\ncrime,\" Impartial director Rachland Nashidik said.<\/p>\n
\"He (Susilo) gave me an empty promise,\" Suciwati lamented.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sby-reneges-on-promise-to-munirs-widow-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }