Defendant denies allegations of abusing migrant workers

Defendant denies allegations of abusing migrant workers

JAKARTA (JP): A panel of judges at the Central Jakarta
District court laughed on Tuesday at the responses of a 49-year-
old defendant charged with the physical abuse and sexual
molestation of two prospective female migrant workers.

Prosecutor Abdul Kadir Latief told the hearing that Nasir
Salim, an Indonesian of Arab descent, sexually molested Yayan
Yulianti and physically abused Iis binti Kanda in a drunken
stupor on March 11, 2000.

"In his drunkenness, Nasir forcibly ordered Yayan to give him
a massage at 10:30 p.m. on March 11, during which he fondled her
breasts, buttocks, thighs and genitalia," Latief told the
hearing, presided over by judge Hoepojo.

"Later that night, as witnessed by several people, he banged
Iis' head at least twice on the floor in rage."

At the time Yayan and Iis were living in a two-story all-
female dormitory on Jl. Percetakan Negara X, Central Jakarta,
owned by PT Dian Karya Trampil, a labor export firm headed by the
defendant's younger sister, Patya.

The victims were waiting to be sent to Saudi Arabia for work.

Latief said the defendant had violated Paragraph 1 of Article
351 of the Criminal Code on physical abuse, which carries a
maximum of two years and eight months in prison; and Article 289
of the Criminal Code on sexual molestation, which carries a
maximum of nine-years imprisonment.

Judge Hoepojo then asked the defendant if he had fondled
Yayan's breasts.

Nasir immediately replied: "In the name of Allah and my seven
generations to come, I never touched her breasts.

"Saya orang alim pak. Saya suka sholat" (I am a devout man,
sir. I often perform my prayers.)

At this, the panel of judges laughed for some time, and
repeatedly asking the defendant if they had heard him right and
that he had used the word "alim" (devout).

Hoepojo then asked the defendant whether he had any business
upon entering the dormitory.

Nasir said he had been assigned to handle administrative
duties at his sister's firm.

The judge then called on the defendant's sister, Patya, and
told her to confirm what her brother had just said.

"He had no business entering the dormitory. He is not in
charge of anything," Patya told the court.

Following Patya's testimony, prosecutor Latief asked the
defendant whether he was telling the truth and that he was in
charge of administrative tasks, including on the day of the
incident.

The defendant remained silent. Latief then asked him what kind
of work he was doing at 10:30 p.m. in the dormitory.

Again, Nasir remained silent.

Earlier in the hearing, Latief said that Yayan had asked the
defendant's permission to pray to stop her molestation. The
defendant agreed to her request but told her to return
afterwards.

"When Yayan did not return, the defendant went up to the
second floor and started asking for another girl, while verbally
abusing, kicking and pulling Iis' hair, who was sleeping on the
second floor," Latief told the court.

He said that the Iis tried to run down the stairs to escape,
but fell over and started to bleed from her mouth.

"Instead of helping the wounded girl, the defendant, in front
of several eyewitnesses, banged Iis' head on the floor at least
twice, while screaming for her to get up. Iis immediately started
bleeding from her head and fainted." (ylt)