Youths demonstrate support for Bintang<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A group of 20 youths staged a peaceful
\ndemonstration outside the Attorney General's Office yesterday,
\nprotesting the arrest of rebel politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas.<\/p>\n
Calling themselves the Committee of Indonesian Youths, the
\nstudents did not ask for a meeting with the officials, despite
\nbeing invited inside, but insisted on reading out a statement
\nopposing the arrest.<\/p>\n
They also waved placards, some of which read: "Save the
\ncitizens," "Clobber Eddy Tansil," and "Keep your promises."<\/p>\n
The students were referring to businessman Eddy Tansil who
\nescaped last year from Cipinang prison where he was serving 20
\nyears for swindling the government-run Bank Pembangunan Indonesia
\n(Bapindo) of US$620 million.<\/p>\n
Bintang and two fellow members of the unrecognized Indonesian
\nDemocratic Union Party are being accused of subversion for
\nsending Idul Fitri greetings cards which contained the party's
\nthree-point agenda: to boycott the 1997 election, to reject
\nPresident Soeharto's reelection in 1998 and to prepare a new era
\nfor a post-Soeharto administration.<\/p>\n
The former United Development Party legislator had earlier
\nrefused to be questioned by one Attorney General's Office
\nofficial who was believed to have embezzled interest worth
\nbillions of rupiah of Tansil's assets deposited at Bapindo.<\/p>\n
His lawyers, Achmad Fauzan and Irianto Subiakto, were refused
\naccess to meet Bintang yesterday for "bureaucratic reasons."
\nRamelan, the head of the office's public relations and legal
\naffairs department, was not on hand to grant the two permission
\nto meet their client.<\/p>\n
Bintang has also claimed he lodged his complaints about the
\nprocedure of his arrest with the National Commission on Human
\nRights and the Legal Aid Institute.<\/p>\n
Commission chairman Munawir Sjadzali, however, said he had not
\nyet received the letter. Furthermore, "the commission will not
\ninterfere with the ongoing legal procedure, unless there's a
\nviolation of human rights," he said.<\/p>\n
"If asked, however, the commission would consider
\n(intervening)," he said. (05\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/youths-demonstrate-support-for-bintang-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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