Garuda suspends detained staff

JAKARTA: Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has suspended three employees who have been named suspects in the poisoning death of noted human rights activist Munir, an official said.

Ari Sapari, the company's operations director, said after a meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Tuesday that the move was in accordance with Garuda's internal regulations.

The police have declared pilot/aviation security officer Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto and flight attendants Yeti Susmiyarti and Oedi Irianto suspects in the case and detained them. Investigators extended Pollycarpus' detention on Monday for another 60 days.

Munir was found dead aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7 last year. An autopsy conducted by the Dutch authorities found an excessive amount of arsenic in Munir's body. -- JP