Four disco patrons imprisoned

Four disco patrons imprisoned

JAKARTA (JP): The West Jakarta District Court sentenced four
discotheque patrons yesterday an average of three months in
prison for consuming Ecstasy pills.

The male defendants were identified as Erick Pariosa Setiawan,
20, and Asep Subhi, 18, and the females were Yulia Suryani Dewi,
28, and Sari Benah, 40.

Erick, a university student, and Asep, a graduate from a
technical senior high school, were arrested at Parkir Discotheque
on Jl. Mangga Besar on Aug. 23, while Yulia and Sari, a
housewife, were arrested at Furama Discotheque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk
on the same night.

Presiding judge Fadly Ilhamy said Erick, Asep and another man,
Arsani, 19, were rounded up by policewomen and then taken to the
City Police Headquarters.

Fadly said the three young men were detained because their
urine tests, certified by forensic expert Mun'im Idries,
indicated they had recently consumed Ecstasy pills. Arsani,
however, was released after being detained for 20 days, but he
passed another test at the police forensics laboratory.

Mun'im, who attended yesterday's court session as an expert
witness, said that he had not yet received reports from the
police that the result of Arsani's second urine test was
negative.

"It's a bit impossible for any person to pass another test
after failing in my test," he said.

Fadly questioned Mun'im's involvement in the police raids
against patrons of discotheques in the city, quoting the
Indonesian Medical Association's statement that such involvement
was unethical for doctors.

Mun'im again said that his involvement did not violate the
doctors' code of ethics, saying that forensic doctors' jobs are
different from those of medical doctors.

He said a forensic doctor examined evidence which could be
revealed to the public while a medical doctor examined a patient
which should be kept confidential.

Prosecutor Suyitno earlier charged Asep and Erick under
Article 60 (5) of Law No. 5/1997 on psychotropic drugs, which
carries a maximum prison sentence of three months for drug users.

On Nov. 7, the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced 23
people, including 13 women, to two months and 20 days in prison
each for taking Ecstasy pills.

The 23 offenders were also arrested on Aug. 23 in a police
raid at Marimba Discotheque in Hotel Sentral on Jl. Pramuka.
(jun)