Hendro 'disappoints' President

Hendro 'disappoints' President

Rendi A. Witular and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed disappointment on
Monday over the refusal of A.M. Hendropriyono, the former chief
of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), to be questioned by a
government sanctioned fact-finding team assigned to help the
police in the investigation of the murder of top human rights
campaigner Munir.

But the President did not say whether there would be tougher
measures taken against his senior in the military.

The team's coordinator Brig. Gen. (Police) Marsudhi Hanafi
said the recent refusal of Hendropriyono to be questioned had not
only disappointed the team but also the President, since the team
was formed to help the police solve the high-profile case.

"President Susilo has expressed disappointment over the
refusal of Hendropriyono to be questioned by us because this team
is an extension of the President's authority," said Marsudhi
after meeting Susilo at the State Palace.

Meanwhile, Hendropriyono said he found it hard to believe that
the President was disappointed with him.

"I mean, he was once my subordinate. Even if (the President)
said he was disappointed, I'm sure the fact-finding team must
have twisted the facts and made misleading reports about me," he
said on Monday during a meeting with a team of legislators
assigned to monitor the investigation of the Munir case.

He also defended his decision to ignore the summons given by
the fact-finding team, saying the summons was not a polite way to
treat someone in his position and the team had acted arrogantly.

The team wanted to question Hendropriyono, a retired army
general, to seek clarification over the alleged role of BIN in
the murder case, which took place last year when he was still in
charge of the intelligence agency.

Susilo set up the fact-finding team on Dec. 23 to help the
police solve the case, which has also drawn international
attention. Munir died while aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta
to Amsterdam on Sept. 7 last year. An autopsy by the Dutch
authorities discovered excessive levels of arsenic in his body,
indicating that he had been poisoned.

Marsudhi said that while Susilo had not yet decided whether to
extend the team's mandate, the team had suggested that the
government dissolve it because it had managed to gather
sufficient facts that could be followed up by the National
Police.

"We have suggested that our task not be extended. The case
should be followed up by the police, and the government should
form a special body to supervise this task to ensure they are
serious about pursuing it," he said.

During the meeting, Marsudhi said, the President said he was
pleased with the work carried out by the team since it had
managed to gather crucial information to solve the case, in spite
of the fact that it had limited authority.

The team asserted that Pollycarpus, a Garuda pilot, who was
off duty during the flight and had offered his business class
seat to Munir during the first leg of the trip (when it is
believed he was poisoned), is a BIN agent. It also revealed
intelligence documents last week, describing a plan that outlined
four optional methods to kill Munir, who was a strong critic of
human rights violations committed by the military.

Elsewhere, Hendropriyono told lawmakers that he was not
involved Munir's murder.

He also said he suspected political maneuvering behind the
fact-finding team's move to summon him for questioning over the
murder case.

He said that the team had not produced any significant results
during its six-month tenure, aside from a character assassination
of people like himself.