Govt to play by the rules on Theo

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."