C. Jakarta court reschedules trials
JAKARTA (JP): Although hit by a backlog of cases, the Central Jakarta district court nevertheless has given priority to the trials of 21 student activists and Eddy Tansil, a spokesman said yesterday.
The students are being tried for allegedly defaming President Soeharto while Tansil stands accused of cheating a state-owned bank, causing the government to lose some US$620 million. Court chief Soetrisno himself will preside over the two major cases.
Spokesman Tua Radja Siregar told The Jakarta Post that the court had rescheduled some civic and other criminal cases because nine of the 13 district judges were needed for the trials of the students.
According to Siregar, the prosecutors divided the 21 student trial sessions into groups of four, six and eleven in accordance with the severity of their crimes, with three judges adjudicating each session.
People affected by the rescheduling earlier complained about the suspensions of their court cases.
One prosecutor, however, said that he could fully understand the district court's decision as the two major cases have a great impact on the nation.
"I read the newspapers and observed the heavily guarded sessions of the student activists' trials. It's still tolerable," he said.
Under the present situation, the Central Jakarta district court is not only trying the students and Tansil but also other criminals which include two Dutch citizens, the alleged drug traffickers.
Local and foreign journalists have devoted extensive coverage to the cases of the 21 students and the bank fraud, during which hundreds of reporters, cameramen and attendants swarmed the court house, compelling police officers to work hard to handle the large crowd.
"The judges here strive to do their best despite their backlog," Siregar said.
He noted that minor court cases have to suspended because their presiding judges were assigned to try the students.
Siregar, himself a member of the team currently trying the students and Eddy Tansil, said that sometimes he had to follow the session from 10 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. following the demands of the students to finish the reading of their defense statements.
He said that the court will likely complete the session on the students next week, before the Islamic Day of Sacrifice on May 21.
Eddy Tansil
When asked about the safety of Tansil, Siregar said that the court cooperates with the Central Jakarta police precinct to safeguard every defendant.
"The defendant has the right to a fair trial and protection," the soft-spoken judge said.
Earlier this week, some angry visitors mocked, shouted at, stoned and beat Tansil, an Indonesian businessman of Chinese descent, while police officers escorted him to a waiting van.
According to Siregar, the panel of judges has agreed to hold Tansil in a special waiting room on the third floor of the court building, instead of in the regular room in the backyard, where other attendants could easily harass him.
"You know it's hard to face such a crowd," he said, adding that it is easier to protect Tansil on the third floor. (09)