Human rights body recommends independent team for Pakpahan
Human rights body recommends independent team for Pakpahan
JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission for Human Rights
promised yesterday to urge the government to form an independent
medical team to seek a third opinion on labor leader Muchtar
Pakpahan's health.
Commission member Muladi told Pakpahan's lawyers and a
delegation from the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) that
the commission would send a letter to Minister of Justice Oetojo
Oesman and Attorney General Singgih asking them to form a team to
get a third opinion or facilitate lung imagy fluorescence
endoscopy (LIFE) treatment.
Muladi said that if the government could not provide LIFE
treatment, then it should "just let Pakpahan go abroad, to
Singapore at least, accompanied by a Army Special Forces officer
or a commission member if needed".
Pakpahan, chairman of SBSI, was admitted to Cikini Hospital in
Central Jakarta in March while he was on trial for subversion.
During the proceedings, Pakpahan demanded that a non-prison
doctor examine him. His request was initially denied.
Last month he asked the government to let him travel abroad
for treatment because Cikini Hospital doctors recommended LIFE
treatment, which is unavailable in Indonesia.
The government then sought a second opinion from a team of
doctors from state-run Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, who
found that there was no need for Pakpahan to travel abroad.
Pakpahan then demanded an independent medical team involving
the international committee of the Red Cross to seek a third
opinion.
In a letter delivered to the rights commission yesterday,
Pakpahan questioned the attorney general's statement that he
could be treated here, whereas the second opinion did not
disclose an exact diagnosis.
According to Pakpahan, the prognosis of the second opinion,
which claims the labor leader's illness does not need treatment
abroad, is still far from definite.
Pakpahan was convicted for inciting a labor riot in Medan,
North Sumatra, in 1994, and is currently being tried by the South
Jakarta District Court on charges of subversion over a series of
antigovernment speeches he gave last year.
The trial has been postponed since March because of his
deteriorating health. (05)