Mon, 06 Oct 2003

Bus driver named suspect after accident

SEMARANG, Central Java: A bus driver Uus Usnadi has been named a suspect, following a recent crash in Majenang district, Cilacap regency, which killed seven people, including six people from one family, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

The 42-year-old driver was a resident of Ciamis regency in West Java, according to Cilacap Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Prasta Wahyu Hidayat.

Prasta said that the Cilacap police were supposed to name another suspect in the case, namely Wanto Wibowo, the driver of a Kijang van, which collided with a bus driven by Uus.

But, the police finally declined to name Wanto a suspect, because the 31-year-old Wanto also died in the collision, he said in the Central Java capital of Semarang.

Prasta said that the police's preliminary investigation suggested that the accident was caused mainly by human error.

Meanwhile, the police have also shifted routes for that companies buses, "Budiman", plying the Purwokerto to Jakarta and Wonosobo to Jakarta routes, in order to prevent possible attacks by vengeance-minded locals.

"Budiman" buses used to go through the Majenang district, but after the incident, the buses must shift routes to streets in nearby Karangpucung and Cukangleuleus areas.

The accident occurred on Wednesday around midnight when the speeding Kijang minivan, which took a corner on Jl. Pahonjean in Majenang, was hit by the speeding "Budiman" driven by Uus, allegedly on the wrong side of the road. -- Antara

;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Across-killing Man kills wife and two children JP/5/ACROSS

Man kills wife and two children

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Pontianak police arrested a man here on Saturday after he admitted to killing his wife and two children on Saturday morning.

According to the police report, the 42-year-old suspect, identified as CMB, admitted that he killed his family members after he quarreled with his wife on Saturday morning.

Police sources said that CMB used a knife in the slayings.

The motive behind the killing of the two children, aged four and nine, was not known yet.

Police found that the bodies of the three victims in the living room in a housing complex in Pontianak.

The police also found that there were bruises on the neck of each victim. The three bodies were taken to the morgue of the Soedarso general hospital.

A brother of CMB's wife reported the murder to police. -- Antara

;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. Across-anti-TNI Three anti-TNI students arrested JP/5/ACROSS

Three anti-TNI students arrested

JEMBER, East Java: Jember police arrested three students on Saturday after they staged a protest in Tegal Boto area here without permit.

The students, grouped under the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), were Achmad Zainul Rofiq, Abdul Basit and Apolos Sudardoni. All three are students from Jember-based Brawijaya University.

"They were arrested for questioning on the grounds that they have violated Law No. 9/1998 on the Freedom of Expression," said Jember Police's chief of intelligence Adj. Comr. Isworo.

The protest, organized by the three students, were attended by some 30 students. The protest was held in conjunction with the 58th Anniversary of the Indonesian military (TNI) that falls on Oct. 5.

In the protest, the students rejected the involvement of the military in politics. The students also demanded justice in the trials for generals accused of gross human rights violations in the East Timor and Tanjung Priok cases.

Despite the arrest of the three students, Isworo said that the police would immediately release them after questioning.

Law No. 9/1998 gave the right to the police to disperse people staging protests without a permit, but it does not stipulate jail sentences. Antara