Hamzah visits jailed 'brother', raises pressure on police

Yogita Tahilramani The Jakarta Post Jakarta

The pressure on the police rose to dizzying heights on Tuesday when Vice President Hamzah Haz visited the detained commander of the Laskar Jihad Muslim group, Ja'far Umar Thalib, in his cell at the National Police Headquarters.

Hamzah reportedly conveyed his sympathies to Ja'far as "one Muslim to another". The Laskar Jihad commander was arrested on May 4 at Surabaya's Juanda Airport for inciting the April 28 attack on the Christian village of Soya in Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, which resulted in 13 deaths. He has also been charged with insulting President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Hamzah, who is also the chairman of the country's third largest political party, the United Development Party (PPP), was not the first prominent visitor received by Ja'far, who also received visits by a number of other Muslim social and political leaders. These visits have some parties concerned that political pressure could lead to Ja'far's release.

"We Muslims are brothers. There's nothing wrong with visiting someone in trouble and offering sympathy," Hamzah said. "The government has no intention of intervening. The police had concrete evidence to arrest Ja'far."

The Laskar Jihad, along with another militia group, Laskar Mujahidin, has been accused of spreading anti-Christian sentiments and provoking religious violence across Maluku, where over 6,000 people have died during several years of communal violence.

An official with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Arifin Panigoro, questioned Hamzah's visit of Ja'far on Tuesday.

"This visit will invite discussion since Hamzah is Vice President. PDI Perjuangan is waiting for an explanation of the purpose of the visit," Arifin said following a party meeting led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the PDI Perjuangan chairwoman.

Prior to Hamzah's arrival at the National Police Headquarters, leaders from a splinter faction of the United Development Party, PPP Reformasi, visited Ja'far and offered him their sympathy.

After meeting with Ja'far, the chairman of PPP Reformasi, noted Muslim preacher Zainuddin M.Z., said Ja'far had done a "lot of good" for Muslims in South Maluku.

"The people of Maluku were already angry about the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist rebels with their RMS flags. Whether Ja'far made that speech or not (which allegedly incited the attack on Soya village), it would not have made a difference," Zainuddin said.

"Political nuances are stronger than matters of the law. We should always go with the presumption of innocence," he said.

Police moved to arrest Ja'far following a report by Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danu Ardianto. In his report, Soenarko said Ja'far told an audience of people at the Al-Fatah Mosque on April 26 to "prepare their bombs and ammunition, and fire them at the enemy in the name of Allah the Great".

Ahmad Sumargono of the Crescent Star Party (PBB), who also visited Ja'far on Tuesday, said the House of Representatives was considering calling National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar to explain Ja'far's arrest.

On May 4 of last year, Ja'far was arrested at Juanda Airport and charged with being responsible for the stoning death of one of his followers. Though the murder charge has never been dropped, under the threat of rioting the police released Ja'far from custody on May 15 and placed him under house arrest, from which he was released on June 12.

And just two months later, on Aug. 8, Ja'far was received by Hamzah in the vice presidential office.

The chief detective of the National Police's general crimes division, Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi, said on Tuesday the police were pressured to release Ja'far last year, and hoped that this time detectives would "not be pressured continuously" to release him, whether by politicians or by his paramilitary group.

"It is no joke arresting this man. We had to collect solid evidence before we made this arrest ... I hope nothing gets in the way of our investigation of this case," Aryanto told The Jakarta Post.

Ja'far's lawyers are scheduled to file a lawsuit on Wednesday at the South Jakarta District Court against National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar for "wrongful arrest".

On Monday, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said the police had consulted with ministers before arresting Ja'far.