Australian wanted on child molesting charge

JAKARTA (JP): West Nusa Tenggara police have put an Australian suspected of child molestation and of running a sex ring in Central Lombok regency on its list of wanted suspects.

"We have been keeping him under surveillance for some time," Police Chief Col. Mudji Santoso said. "Now that he's officially on the wanted list, we're calling on the public to report to us immediately if they've spotted him."

Antara quoted Mudji as saying that William Stuart Brown, an Australian citizen, is being sought for questioning following a report by Gaguk and Rus, two boys aged 12 and 14, that they allegedly had been sexually molested by him.

Police, however, suspect that at least 40 children have been abused by Brown and a number of his Australian friends, who often stayed in his house in Kampung Kemulah. The news agency said that Brown was no longer in the village and has probably escaped to Bali.

The Tiras weekly, in its latest edition quoted several children as saying that Brown, whom they called Oom (Uncle) Bill, paid them Rp 100,000 (US$42) to perform oral sex on him or his friends.

Many of the local people knew Bill as a sweet man who liked to be with children, often buying them sweets or other things, Antara reported.

In addition, the news agency named two local men, Sabaruddin and Mik, as the procurers for Brown. Another Australian, Robert Dunn, was also named as a member of the sex ring.

"We promise to track the two men down and investigate the local men involved in this matter," Mudji said.

The Australian press recently alleged that five Australian men, including a former member of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, were running a pedophile ring in Kampung Kemulah in Lombok.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph said that the ring involved local boys as young as 10 years of age. One of the five men, a former teacher from Sydney, earlier escaped prosecution by Australian police and was last heard of in Kemulah, the report said.

Videotapes of young boys taken by the teacher appeared at a police royal commission last month in the Australian state of New South Wales. The tapes have also received wide exposure on Australian television.

Through Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, the Australian government has recently said that Canberra will apply "high and ruthless standards" to apprehend their Asia-based officials allegedly engaging in pedophilic activities.

"We want any allegations of pedophile activity followed up rigorously, unequivocally and with real commitment," Downer had said while visiting Jakarta earlier this month. (swe)