Coffee for two 'no storm in teacup'
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.