Aceh police turn down journalist's release plea
Aceh police turn down journalist's release plea
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police in Aceh did not give American journalist William Nessen a
chance to breathe fresh air on Thursday, rejecting a request by
his lawyer to release the journalist from detention.
In Jakarta, Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said Nessen might
face another charge aside from visa violations.
"We're still waiting for information from witnesses," Da'i was
quoted by Antara as saying, without mentioning the new charge.
The American was charged with having violated his visa, an
offense that carries a maximum penalty of five years.
The military has also accused Nessen of espionage.
Nessen's lawyer Amir Syamsuddin said earlier on Thursday,
shortly after he arrived in Banda Aceh, that he would submit the
request for Nessen's release directly to the provincial police
chief.
Amir promised that Nessen would report when necessary for
further investigation. "I, and I hope the U.S. embassy, will
guarantee that."
According to Amir, Nessen's detention appeared to be based
solely on possible immigration violations, a relatively minor
offense that should not require detention.
Besides, Nessen was not in good health. He was suffering from
kidney problems and his body was very weak due to lack of water,
Amir added.
But Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bahrumsyah said: "Such a
release is indeed allowed under the Criminal Code, but in the
interests of the investigation, we reject it."
Police said on Thursday that an arrest warrant had been issued
against Nessen who has been charged with violating Article 50 and
Article 51 of Law No. 9/1992 on immigration which carries a
maximum sentence of five years imprisonment or a Rp 25 million
fine.
The Banda Aceh District Court sentenced American nurse Joy Lee
Sadler and British scholar Lesley McCullogh to four and five
months imprisonment respectively on Dec. 30, 2002 for violating
their tourist visa.
Nessen surrendered himself to the Indonesian Military (TNI) on
Tuesday.
Under martial law imposed on May 19, the military has the
authority to detain Nessen for 20 days or until July 11.
Nessen came to Indonesia as a journalist with the San
Francisco Chronicle, but police said the New Yorker failed to
prove it or to produce his passport. Nessen said he lost his
passport when he was trapped in crossfire between government
soldiers and GAM separatists earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz called on the police to
be professional in investigating Nessen's case.
"Our security personnel should treat him (Nessen)
professionally. They should not treat him in a way that would
violate legal procedures," Hamzah said after the commemoration of
international day for fighting drug trafficking.
Hamzah agreed that police should not only look into
allegations that the journalist had violated immigration laws but
also his activities while being embedded with GAM.
Meanwhile, Solahuddin Al Fatah, a leading Acehnese
businessman, filed on Thursday a report with the police against
Nessen for running away with his wife, Sadiah Marhaban.
Sadiah had demanded a divorce from Solahuddin before leaving
home to marry Nessen.
"We will also investigate the report," Bahrumsyah said.