Court acquits 'Gurita' suspect

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The court has acquitted Ahmadi Kusumo, the head of a state-owned ferry office, who was accused of negligence after an overloaded ferry sank off Weh Island, Aceh, last year killing more than 300 people onboard.

Antara reported yesterday that the Banda Aceh District Court released 50-year-old Kusumo of all charges Monday in connection with the disaster which happened in bad weather on Jan. 19, 1996.

Kusumo, who heads the Banda Aceh branch of state-owned PT Angkutan Sungai Danau dan Penyebrangan, which operated the Gurita ferry, was the second official cleared of charges linked to the ferry accident.

The same court earlier released a port official who allowed the overloaded ferry to set sail from Banda Aceh.

Only 39 people were rescued, while 55 bodies were recovered and 283, including an unknown number of foreigners, were never found.

A separate maritime tribunal declared that bad weather, not overloading, was the cause of the accident. (swe)