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)