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)