House endorses bill on RI-HK extradition treaty

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that will allow the administrations of Indonesia and Hong Kong to surrender fugitives pursued by each country.

In a plenary session, led by deputy House Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno and attended by Minister of Justice and Human Rights Affairs Baharuddin Lopa, all 11 House factions endorsed the draft law, agreeing that it is necessary to have such an agreement with the Chinese special administrative region (SAR).

Each faction underlined the law's importance, considering that many people, who are either currently on trial or have already been convicted, had subsequently fled abroad, some to Hong Kong.

The draft law stipulates that 30 days after the House ratifies the bill the agreement will take effect and both parties will be obliged to comply with it. It is during this period that the Indonesian government will inform Hong Kong of the ratification.

Although the agreement was already signed in 1997, the Indonesian government only sought the House's approval four years later.

While Hong Kong is not a Chinese state, the Hong Kong administration is authorized to sign the agreement with Indonesia.

Currently, Indonesia has extradition treaties with Malaysia, since 1974; the Philippines since 1976; Thailand since 1978; and Australia since 1994.

In their agreement, Indonesia and Hong Kong enlisted 44 legal offenses subject to the arrangement, including attempted murder, murder, abduction, drug offenses, corruption, bribery, possession of firearms, and fraud. The offenses must be acknowledged by both parties.

The two parties will not surrender people who have been exonerated or released from all charges and are allowed to reject demands to surrender their own citizens.

The agreement states that both parties are also allowed to reject a request to surrender people condemned to a death sentence or who have committed politically motivated offenses.

Also on Tuesday, the House special committee discussing the broadcast bill submitted the controversial draft law to the House plenary session for further debate, suggesting that the draft is open for revision and improvement.

Special committee chairman Dimyati Hartono underlined that the draft had accommodated input from various parties and was the outcome of 11 submissions presented by non-government organizations.

"I hope the draft law will contribute to the improvement of broadcasting affairs, especially relating to technology development," Dimyati told the session.

The draft has received strong criticism, with many saying that it defies the spirit of reform and restricts press freedom. It is believed that the draft bill burdens broadcasters with too many responsibilities and threatens them with penalties that are too severe, ranging from fines to jail sentences.

The Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication Agum Gumelar, who attended the session, said the House should discuss the bill carefully before enacting it.

Agum was one of many people who urged that the draft be revised before being deliberated by the House. (dja)