BIN plays for time, slows probe into Munir's murder

BIN plays for time, slows probe into Munir's murder

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government-sanctioned fact-finding team (TPF) tasked with
assisting police in probing the murder of human rights campaigner
Munir is complaining that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN)
remains uncooperative in the inquiry.

It said that despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's
repeated order for BIN to give a full access to the team, the
agency still refused to provide it with documents on its former
agents allegedly implicated in the killing.

Rachland Nashidik, a TPF member and also director of human
rights watchdog Imparsial, said BIN secretary general Suparto
said his institution would not allow outsiders to see any of its
documents, even in the interests of the investigation.

This shows that BIN are defying the President's order, he
added.

At a meeting between Susilo and BIN chief Maj. Gen. (ret.)
Syamsir Siregar earlier this week, the President reiterated his
order to the intelligence agency.

"It remains unclear whether BIN as an institution was involved
in Munir's death, or whether certain BIN officials abused their
power, or perhaps, they are trying to halt the investigation into
the case," Rachland told reporters on Friday.

The TPF has accused several BIN agents of involvement in the
poisoning death of Munir aboard a Garuda Indonesia flight to
Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. An autopsy by Dutch authorities found
excessive amounts of arsenic in his body.

National Police have detained Garuda pilot Pollycarpus
Budihari Priyanto as a suspect in the murder case. There are
suspicions that he is a BIN operative.

Pollycarpus reportedly persuaded Munir to change seats and
move into business class on the Garuda flight from Jakarta to
Amsterdam via Singapore.

"We need BIN's documents that show whether Pollycarpus was
recruited by BIN in 2002 as he has repeatedly claimed. We also
need to clarify whether his recruitment was in line with BIN's
antiterrorism policy," Rachland said.

Former BIN secretary general Nurhadi Djazuli has testified to
the TPF that the recruitment of Pollycarpus was endorsed by
former BIN chief A.M. Hendropriyono.

Pollycarpus has meanwhile named two other former high-ranking
members of BIN, who were suspected of knowing about the crime.
They are former BIN deputy chief overseeing the antiterrorism
desk, Maj. Gen. (ret) Muchdi PR, and another former BIN agent
Col. (ret) Bambang Irawan.

A source has said Bambang was the passenger who was seated in
the same flight's business class and was believed to "have given
a glass of drink mixed with poison to Munir".

A report obtained from state-owned telecommunications company
PT Telkom shows that Pollycarpus "received direct calls from
Muchdi's extension number at his BIN office" before and after the
death of Munir.

"Questioning of the three men concerned and checking all
related BIN documents are necessary to clarify all of
Pollycarpus' statements," Rachland said.

"We have prepared summonses for the three and are expecting to
question them by mid-June. But I'm worried that they are just
trying to buy time," he said, pointing out that the TPF will end
its six-month term on June 23.