Bintang to bring own witnesses to police

JAKARTA (JP): Former legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, currently under police investigation for allegedly insulting President Soeharto, hopes to defend himself with his own witnesses from Germany.

Iwan Setiabudi, Ignatius Irianto and Kristianto, all Indonesian students in Berlin and participants in a seminar featuring Bintang as the speaker, have agreed to testify in favor of the outspoken politician.

The students, who arrived here on July 17 and will fly back to Berlin this week, will go with Bintang to the Police Headquarters this afternoon to ask that their version of the story be heard.

Iwan organized the seminar in Germany and took minutes, while Irianto and Kristianto took turns presiding over the discussion. Bintang told The Jakarta Post yesterday that a group of Indonesians in Berlin paid for the students' trip.

"Many people chipped in to pay for their fares, and the students came on their own because they are willing to be my witnesses," he said.

Bintang was accused of being involved in at least one demonstration against President Soeharto when the latter visited the Germany city of Hannover last April.

Bintang, who was then a legislator from the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), denied all charges and said he was in town to address a number of seminars.

After questioning more than 10 witnesses, police submitted their dossiers on the outspoken politician earlier this month to the Prosecutor's Office.

Police, however, have so far abstained from questioning Bintang's witnesses. National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman said that their decision did not violate the Criminal Code.

Bintang insists he has the right to present witnesses in his defense and has asked that the three students be heard.

He told the Post that he had attempted to convince police several times to question the witnesses. His most recent attempt may have bore fruit when Chief Detective of the National Police Brig. Gen. Rusdihardjo reportedly agreed to have the students questioned either today or tomorrow.

"I'm afraid the police will refuse to hear from them, despite the fact that it's my right to have defense witnesses, and that it's their duty to question them," Bintang said.

"But if they refuse to examine my witnesses, then that means they are violating the law," he said.

He pointed out that time is a constraint: Irianto, a physics student, must fly back to Berlin on Wednesday.

Bintang was dismissed earlier this year by the House faction of the PPP for allegedly going against the party's policies and for offending a number of cabinet ministers.

Bintang lodged a complaint with the National Commission on Human Rights in April, protesting the travel and speaking bans slapped on him by the government and the terror to which he and his family have been subjected. (swe)