E. Java police pledge renewed efforts on Marsinah's murder
E. Java police pledge renewed efforts on Marsinah's murder
SURABAYA (JP): Newly-installed East Java Police Chief Maj.
Gen. Moch. Dayat has promised to step up the investigation into
the four-year-old murder of labor activist Marsinah.
"We will reevaluate the case," Dayat said Saturday, adding
that his announcement was unrelated to the recent call by
prominent lawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi for the police to reveal
DNA test results of blood samples found near Marsinah's body.
"The decision is purely ours," he said. He did not specify
when the review of the case would begin.
National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo said Thursday that
there would not be any renewed investigation into the case in the
near future because DNA results had not arrived from London.
Dibyo said he had requested the results "many times" from the
laboratory but to no avail.
"I've written them letters, how many I've forgotten, but I
still have the copies on my desk. Their response is always that
it's almost finished," Dibyo said after installing Maj. Gen.
Rusdihardjo as new head of the school of police staff and
leaders. "So how do you suppose the police could soon reopen the
case?"
Trimoelja had questioned why police had not released the
results, which some believe may help in finding the murderer's
identity.
"It's been two years since the authorities sent a blood sample
for the test," said Trimoelja, who had successfully defended Judi
Sutanto on the charge of killing Marsinah.
The Surabaya lawyer said it usually takes a maximum of six
weeks for DNA test results to be completed.
Dibyo's response was: "Just go and ask those people in
London."
Marsinah had organized a workers' strike at PT Catur Putra
Surya, a watch manufacturer in Sidoarjo, East Java, before her
disappearance. Her mutilated body was found in an abandoned shack
near Nganjuk, 90 kilometers west of Sidoarjo, in May 1993.
Judi, director of the company and alleged mastermind of the
murder, was acquitted by the Supreme Court of all charges in
November 1994. A company secretary, Mutiari, was also acquitted
later the same year. (nur/09/aan)