Crime doesn't pay

When it comes to criminology, there are a couple of adages that are worth remembering, namely "There is no perfect crime" and "Crime doesn't pay".

In the context of the widely reported, bizarre cases of the disappearance of scores of people in Indonesia who happened to be political or social activists, both adages seem to apply.

Some of them reappeared after a while. Yet, most of them have preferred to keep silent rather than disclosing what happened to them. Many more are still at large. Everything remains clouded in mystery. Even the authorities have admitted to have no indications as to the whereabouts of those still missing, and therefore a small committee has been formed by the commander in chief of the Armed Forces to carry out further investigation.

Nevertheless, in a kind of jigsaw puzzle, people try to decipher the truth from the fragmented facts and the statements by those who managed to resurface. Pius Lustrilanang was just released by his abductors after disappearing for almost two months. In his testimony before the National Committee on Human Rights, he affirmed that during his detention and torturous interrogation he saw several other people widely reported to have disappeared. Another victim, Haryanto Taslam, a political activist who was also released, affirmed Pius' testimony that he was detained in the same location, though he declined to comment on other details.

After the hearing, the committee concluded that the involuntary disappearance of several people was the result of a well-organized abduction. In view of the fact that a number of people were apparently kept in a special detention location, it only makes sense to suppose that the acts must be the work of a well-regulated organization. Regardless of how well-organized the organization may be, it committed a clumsy error when keeping a number of detainees in the same location.

It reminds us of a story of the civil war in Lebanon a few years back, when the warring factions kept their hostages in scattered and secluded locations to avoid detection and communication among them. The abductors in our country should have followed their Lebanese counterparts. They were probably quite confident that the victims would remain silent through a kind of dealing and threatening when they emerged. Anyway, it has proved that "There is no perfect crime."

Based on their testimonies, just before the release of Pius and also Desmond J. Mahesa, another victim, they were whisked away blindfolded, dropped near a Jakarta airport and provided with one-way air tickets back to their hometowns. Whoever committed the crime would not be that generous if it was for material motives. After all, those who were abducted and those still missing -- mostly students or social and political activists -- are practically penniless.

What were the organized abductors running after if a material motive is out of the question by the above reasoning? There can only be one explanation: political motives. Here the abductors left yet another telltale track that can lead to further investigation. Even though the abduction was a blatantly committed crime, many believe that the act was not done by the underworld organized crime. This again proves that "There will be no perfect crime ever!"

In the era of open communication like today and in a democratic society, the use of force, terror, coercion and intimidation of people having different views and convictions with the authorities have to be rejected and stopped immediately. Particularly, the practices of abduction and other criminal methods in silencing outspoken critics and opposition may achieve a short-term goal but it will not work for all time. Sooner or later, it will be uncovered because "Crime doesn't pay", said the old adage.

JOESOEPADI

Jakarta