Former spokesman installed as Yogyakarta police chief

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Amid strong public demands that the police solve the murder of a local journalist, outgoing National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf was installed as the new Yogyakarta Police chief on Friday.

Saleh replaces Brig. Gen. Logan Siagian who will soon be installed as chief of the National Police's Legal Supervisory Agency (Kababinkum). Siagian will be promoted to two-star general upon taking up his new posting.

The handover ceremony was led by the National Police's Inspector General Comr. Gen. M. Nurdin, on behalf of National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro.

Saleh's appointment was welcomed by the local chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), who issued a press statement titled: "Welcome to Udin's neighborhood", to remind the new police chief of the still unsolved murder of Yogyakarta journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, alias Udin.

Head of the advocacy section of the AJI's Yogyakarta chapter, Heru Prasetyo, asked Saleh not to repeat his predecessors' mistakes in failing to solve the murder.

"Four former Yogyakarta Police chiefs, Mulyono Sulaiman, Bani Siswono, Dadang Sutrisno, and Logan Siagian could not solve the case.

"We don't want to hear any more police progress reports (on Udin's case) which tell us nothing new. We want the police to be serious in investigating this case," said Heru.

He suggested that the new Yogyakarta Police chief should prioritize the investigation into Udin's slaying.

"It's been more than four years since Udin was killed. Yogyakarta people have lost patience with the police's handling of the case," he said.

"Those people who know what happened in Udin's case have to be interrogated intensively soon, including former Bantul regent Sri Roso Sudarmo and former Yogyakarta Police chief Mulyono Sulaiman," said Heru.

Udin, who was a journalist with the Yogyakarta-based Bernas daily, was severely beaten at his home by unidentified persons on Aug. 13, 1996. He died three days later.

His colleagues and many others believe that his murder was connected with his investigative reports into corruption in Bantul regency. (23)