Break-in at missing activist's house

BANDUNG: A number of unidentified people broke into the house of missing activist Usep Setiawan here at noon on Tuesday, stealing important documents on his work at the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), a television set and gold jewelry belonging to his wife.

"We believe this break-in has something to do with Usep's disappearance on Aug. 14," said Teguh, a activist of KPA, a loose non-governmental organization dealing with land and agricultural affairs.

A computer and a motorbike parked in another room of Usep's house remained untouched.

Usep, along with three student activists, went missing after joining a hunger strike at the People's Consultative Assembly building on the eighth day of its Annual Session on Aug. 14.

The four men were reportedly picked up by security personnel and were then dropped in front of General Elections Commission (KPU) building on Jl. Imam Bonjol.

One of Usep's relatives, Paras, said that for a couple of days the phone at Usep house on Jl. Antamulya No. 2 in Buah Batu subdistrict, kept ringing.

"But when we answered, either nobody spoke or they just hung up," Paras said.

West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Darajatun said later in the day that the police had not issued a search warrant for Usep's house.

"We are trying to locate him in cooperation with the Jakarta Police. We did send officers to check on the family, but not for a house search," Adang said. (25/edt)