Ansor suspends treasurer for involvement in brawl

JAKARTA (JP): Deputy chairman of the Ansor Muslim Youth Movement Ahmad Ni'am Salim said on Thursday that it had suspended deputy treasurer Aris Junaedi for bringing his personal problem with a Marine Chief. Sgt. Aliman to the organization.

Ansor is the youth wing of the country's largest Muslim organization, the Nadhlatul Ulama (NU).

"Although Aris is an Ansor executive, the incident which occurred at Ansor office last Sunday had no connection with Ansor as an organization. It was purely a personal problem between Aris and Aliman," Ni'am told a media conference.

Aliman was reportedly shot dead by a Central Jakarta Police officer First Adj. Insp. Agus Sunardi, who along with two civilians, suffered gunshot wounds in Sunday afternoon's dramatic exchange of fire after a heated brawl at Ansor office on Jl. Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta earlier in the day.

Ni'am said the decision to suspend Aris came after Ansor held a meeting at chairman Saifullah Yusuf's residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta on Wednesday evening.

He, however, declined to explain what actually had happened between Aris and Aliman which led to the heated debate ending in a brawl.

"Although Aris is an Ansor executive, it is not possible for us to know all of his activities," he said.

He said that no Banser (Ansor's security task force) members were involved in the incident, citing that Silverster and Rustam who also suffered gunshot wounds were not members of Ansor.

"Silverster and Rustam just happened to be at Ansor office and were trying to split up the brawl," he said.

Ni'am said all Ansor members expected members of the Marines and Aliman's family to remain patient and wait for the prosecution.

"We regret that Aris took his personal problem with Aliman to Ansor," he said, adding that the organization would leave the settlement of the case to the City Military Police.

Separately, Marine corps spokesman Lt. Col. Ibrahim Sadong said Aliman had not acted in the name of the corps.

"What happened between Aliman and the Ansor executive were his personal responsibility. It has no relation with the Marine corps," Sadong told a media conference at Marine headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Sadong, who was on his last day as Marine spokesman before being assigned as chief for internal security affairs at the Marine corps headquarters, said that Aliman came to the Ansor office on Monday at about 6 p.m. He was requested by Ashadi, Aliman's brother who is also head of Ansor's branch office in Demak, Central Java, to settle a problem with Ansor members Aris Junaedi, Silverster and Rustam.

"A heated debate erupted that ended in a brawl. Aliman suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder and machete wounds to his head and fingers. He died before receiving medical treatment at the St. Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta," he said.

He said Marine corps chief Maj. Gen. Harry Triono sent a letter on April 4 to the City Military Police to probe the incident.

The bullet which was taken out of Aliman's body was from a Colt 38 pistol. The bullet is still being kept at Carolus hospital.

On Thursday, a nurse at Carolus hospital said Silverster and Rustam who were also taken to the hospital were no longer in a critical condition. (01)