Garuda pilot investigated in Munir murder case

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

he government-sanctioned fact-finding team, which is "assisting" the police investigators over the alleged murder of human rights campaigner Munir, has asked for information from intelligence agencies about a Garuda pilot, who they suspect could be working on behalf of another state institution.

Rachland Nasidik, a director of human rights monitor Imparsial and also a member of the team, said on Monday the information was needed because "It seems he (the pilot) is not an ordinary pilot, and we have heard that he carries a gun without a license."

"We (the team) are requesting a hearing with all chiefs of intelligence units, including Samsir Siregar, to get a clarification over the status of this suspicious pilot," Rachland said, referring to Maj. Gen. (ret) Samsir Siregar who heads the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

"Hopefully they can publicly explain whether or not any intelligence institution was involved (in the alleged murder)," Rachland said in a press conference.

Rachland refused to name the pilot, but acknowledged that the team had already studied 11 dossiers of suspicious passengers and crew members of Garuda who were on the same flight as Munir from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Singapore on Sept. 7, 2004.

Munir, who was a staunch critic of the military for its alleged role in gross human rights abuses throughout the country, was believed to have been poisoned by arsenic during the Jakarta- Singapore leg of his trip.

Three Garuda pilots have testified to the police in relation to the case.

During the flight, Garuda had three pilots on board. One to fly the airplane from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta to Changi in Singapore. The other one continued the flight to Amsterdam, while the third pilot was the one who greeted Munir on the flight and persuaded the activist to move from economy class to business class during the Jakarta-Singapore leg. (Previous press reports have identified this particular pilot as Policarpus)

"In mid December, we (the team) held a meeting with the police team and prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office to discuss the issue. The police investigators have said that they have never issued a license allowing the pilot in question to own a gun.

"So, he must not be an ordinary pilot," Rachland added.

From the outset, rights activists have speculated that Munir's death was politically motivated. The activists pushed the government to set up the special team in a bid to speed up the investigation process.