Govt to play by the rules on Theo

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has vowed to enforce the law indiscriminately in the case of Investment Coordinating Board chief Theo Toemion, who allegedly assaulted a teenager and several other people during a recent children's basketball game.

"This is a breach of law committed by an individual. It will be settled through due process of law. The government will not protect anyone who breaks the law as we uphold (the principle of) equality before the law," Minister of Communication and Information Sofyan Djalil said after a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office on Thursday.

Although the meeting did not discuss the case specifically, Sofyan said the government would be leaving the matter to law enforcers.

The government has also yet to decide whether to reprimand Theo, or take some kind of other action against him, according to Sofyan.

"But, in principle, the government will strictly enforce the law," Sofyan asserted. "We are very serious about law enforcement."

Koran Tempo reported that Theo began throwing chairs, then attacked a 14-year-old Australian referee when his seven-year-old son was pulled from a April 17 children's basketball game at the Jakarta International School (JIS). Four American executives and an Australian businessman attempted to intervene, only to be attacked and threatened with expulsion from the country, witnesses said.

Theo acknowledged that he had become incensed during the game because he felt his seven-year-old son was being unfairly targeted by referees for his rough play.

"I asked about my son and one of the organizers began screaming at me in English, which I didn't understand. I felt it was kind of racist," Toemion told The Associated Press from the Netherlands, where he is on a business trip.

JIS headmaster, Niall Nelson, said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post, that the school " has taken the matter up with its Board of Governors, which includes several embassy representatives, and understands that it is being addressed at the highest levels of the Indonesian government."

"It's JIS' understanding that the Indonesian government is investigating the incident, and JIS looks forward to a prompt, appropriate and fair resolution of the matter," Nelson said.

The United States embassy has expressed concern over the incident.

"We're very much concerned about the situation," U.S. Embassy spokesman Max Kwak told The Associated Press. "All inquiries should be directed to the school. It happened there."