Coffee for two 'no storm in teacup'

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Legal experts deplored on Thursday the decision by the National Police's bomb squad chief, Brig. Gen. Gorries Mere, to take convicted Bali bomber Ali Imron out for an evening coffee in a plush, all-American cafe in Jakarta.

Rudi Satrio, a criminologist with the University of Indonesia, said that it was unacceptable for a police officer and a convicted mass murderer to be seen "socializing" together.

People would question the motives behind the move, even if the police claimed it was part of the continuing effort to obtain more information about terror networks in Indonesia, he argued.

"There is no legislation governing the places where and times when a person may be questioned. Basically, the police have the right to obtain whatever information they need. However, a cozy scene involving a police officer and a convicted killer before the full gaze of the public is clearly inappropriate," Rudy told The Jakarta Post.

He said the police could claim the rendezvous was merely an attempt to obtain information from Imron, but many people would tend to believe that the prisoner was been accorded special privileges by the authorities.

The issue could spark accusations that the police were being discriminatory, Rudy added.

Another noted criminal law expert, Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, concurred, saying that it would strike most people as strange to see a police officer and a convicted killer sipping coffee in a public place.

"The police can remove a convict from a prison if the warden consents. However, they should seek a more private venue if they want to elicit further information from the prisoner," she told the Post separately.

Ali Imron, who was sentenced to life for his role in the Bali bombing outrages of Oct. 12, 2002, that killed 202 people, was spotted unhandcuffed by several reporters at Starbucks cafe in Central Jakarta on Wednesday night drinking coffee with Gorries Mere.

Australia, which lost 88 of its citizens in the Bali attacks, also expressed concern over the Starbucks excursion.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he had contacted the Indonesian authorities over the incident, and had been assured that Ali would continue to serve his sentence.

"We have checked, we have made absolutely sure that he is not going to be released," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono confirmed Ali's excursion in Jakarta, saying that he had been brought to the cafe by police officers in an attempt to gain information that could lead to the capture of other terrorists.

Gorries, a senior officer closely involved in investigating the Bali blasts, had complied with the proper procedures when removing Ali from prison, and had taken all necessary security precautions to prevent him from escaping, Suyitno added.

However, he confirmed that Imron was not handcuffed during the outing, saying he was escorted by a sufficient number of police officers to ensure security.

Unlike the other perpetrators of the Bali bombings, Imron cooperated with the investigators after his arrest. He repeatedly expressed remorse over the loss of so many lives in one of the country's worst ever tragedies.

Several media outlets have speculated that Ali was flown to Jakarta to testify against elderly cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is expected to soon go on trial on terrorism charges.

Others have speculated that Ali was brought to the cafe to meet with terror suspect Saifuddin alias Abu Fida in a bid to help determine the whereabouts of two Malaysian fugitives, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh Top, who are believed to have been the masterminds behind a series of terror attacks in Indonesia.

The police refused to comment on the speculation, merely reiterating their line that Ali's help was needed to locate a number of fugitive terror suspects.