George to arrive to attend rights, democracy conference
JAKARTA (JP): Scholar George Junus Aditjondro is to arrive at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport today from Australia to attend a regional conference on human rights and democracy.
"I have been invited to speak at a two-day conference held by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) on Monday," George, a former lecturer of Salatiga's Satya Wacana University, told The Jakarta Post from Australia on Saturday.
George, 52, who is now teaching the sociology of corruption at Newcastle University in Newcastle, hit the headlines four years ago when he was wanted by Yogyakarta Police on charges of slandering then president Soeharto during a seminar at the Indonesian Islamic University.
After his dismissal from Satya Wacana University, George, along with his wife and only son, moved to Australia in early 1995.
The government had at that time even contacted Interpol regarding the possibility of bringing him home to face the charges.
"This will be my first journey to Indonesia in the past three years," George said, adding that he would also visit his parents in the Central Java capital of Semarang during his one week visit.
George also said that on Thursday he would launch his 160-page book Kedua Puncak Korupsi, Kolusi, Nepotisme Rezim Orde Baru; Dari Soeharto ke Habibie (The Two Peaks of Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism in the New Order Regime; From Soeharto to Habibie), published by the Center for Information and Action Network for Reform (PIJAR).
He is best known for his database and analysis of the wealth of former president Soeharto and for his scholarly works on East Timor.
Lately, he has been disseminating, through the Internet, his research on the wealth and businesses of President B.J. Habibie and his family.
Attorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib is now investigating allegations that Soeharto allegedly amassed a fortune during his 32 years in power.
Ghalib, after receiving drafts of authorization from Soeharto to open any bank accounts bearing his name both here and overseas on Friday, said he planned to question those who had publicly alleged the former ruler had amassed a fortune worth trillions of rupiah, including the Indonesian Business Data Center (PDBI) executive director Christianto Wibisono.
Christianto, however, said in a statement on Friday that he had given the report to the attorney general's office in June.
PDBI announced in June it estimated the wealth of former president Soeharto, his family and close associates to be around Rp 200 trillion (US$20 billion). (byg)