Harmoko urges thorough investigation into Udin case

Harmoko urges thorough investigation into Udin case

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Harmoko said the police
should objectively solve the mystery surrounding the August
murder of journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafrudin to prove that laws
are enforced.

"If laws are well enforced, journalists will be able to carry
out their jobs with a feeling of security and the journalistic
profession will flourish," he told The Jakarta Post in Semarang
yesterday.

Fuad Muhammad Syafrudin, better known as Udin, was attacked by
a group of strangers at his residence near Yogyakarta on Aug. 12
and died in hospital on Jan. 16.

Working for the Yogyakarta-based Bernas daily, Udin was
believed to have lost his life because of his scathing reports on
corruption in the Bantul administration.

Doubt in the police's sincerity in their efforts to solve the
murder has been strong since they insisted, even before
completing their investigation, that Udin's murder had nothing to
do with his profession.

Harmoko called on the Yogyakarta police to heed the input from
the Indonesian Journalists Association and the National
Commission on Human Rights, which have conducted separate
investigations.

"We hope that Udin's killers can be caught," he said.

On Thursday, Yogyakarta police chief Col. Moelyono S. said the
authorities had completed questioning Dwi Sumaji, who police
believed is Udin's killer but critics doubt.

The police theorize that Dwi alias Iwik might have murdered
Udin because the deceased had an affair with the suspect's wife.

Moelyono said the dossiers will be submitted to the local
Prosecutors' Office soon.

In Yogyakarta, the lawyers representing Udin's wife criticized
the police for insisting Dwi was the killer even though
independent investigations found otherwise.

The lawyers from the local chapter of the Legal Aid Institute
have also queried the police keeping Udin's clothing and diary
they borrowed to be used as material evidence. (23/har/pan)