Consistency sought in police statements on hotel bombing
Consistency sought in police statements on hotel bombing
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Conflicting statements made by police officials regarding the
progress of the JW Marriott Hotel bombing investigation have
received different responses from experts.
Eko Dahana, a police observer and a University of Indonesia
lecturer, said on Saturday that police tended to make conflicting
statements, particularly in big cases, due to the officials'
various interests in the investigation.
"The information (over the development of the investigation)
circulates among them very rapidly, and they are in a race to
unveil the latest information to win public popularity, which is
necessary for their promotion," said Eko.
UI Criminologist Erlangga Masdiana said the conflicting
statements simply reflected poor coordination among police.
"Police must be more unified in conveying information on the
progress of the investigation to the public ... Otherwise, they
could mislead the public," he said.
The situation was different when a chief investigator was
appointed in the Bali bombings, which left 202 people dead last
year. Most information was delivered by Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku
Pastika, which limited conflicting details.
Erlangga called on police to adopt a similar policy in the
Marriott bombing investigation.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar complained on Friday
that information leaked by police sources had resulted in the
escape of suspects being tailed by police.
Da'i also dismissed previous statements made by his
subordinates, including Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul
Padmanagara and other senior police officers.
The statement was about the arrest of suspects Thohir and
Jabir, who have been on the police wanted list for their alleged
involvement in the deadly bombing. The bomb exploded in the
hotel's driveway and killed 12 people, mostly Indonesian security
guards and taxi drivers, and injured 147 others.
Da'i had also previously made contradictory statements on the
existence of elite fighters belonging to the regional terrorist
network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), who is believed to be behind the
bombing, with National Police criminal investigation chief Comr.
Gen. Erwin Mappaseng.
I-box
Different statements made by police officials or sources
1. Police officials said they had arrested Tohir, a suspected
bomber, in Padang, West Sumatra. The information was denied by
another top official.
2. Police said JI had more than 300 fighters who were well-
trained in war tactics, including in the use of explosives and
other weapons. The statement was again denied.
3. Police said that a severed head of the suspected bomber, Asmar
Latin Sani, 28, was found at the hotel's second floor. But, a
source said it was at the third floor, then on the fourth floor.
Some even said it was on the seventh floor.
4. Police said they found no significant clues from the data
recorded in the hotel's closed circuit television (CCTV), but
police sources said the CCTV had managed to capture profiles of
the suspected bombers.
Source: media reports