Investigation into genereal's murder ends
JAKARTA (JP): Police announced yesterday that the investigation of the killing of Brig. Gen. TMF Tampubolon on Monday evening has been completed.
"We've no more words to comment on the case because all three main elements in our investigation, namely suspects, witnesses and the evidence available, match," said City Police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar.
He refused to explain, saying that all details of the killing were released by City Police chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto the day before.
"If my superior has released the story, I've nothing more to tell you," he told reporters.
He refused to answer any questions from the reporters about a series of theories about Tampubolon's killing, which all differ from Hindarto's version.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hindarto revealed that Tampubolon was stabbed 11 times by two of the four suspects now in custody, after a heated argument on Jl. Griya Wartawan, Kebon Nanas, in Cipinang Muara, East Jakarta. The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. Monday.
According to the police, the argument took place after the four men banged on the trunk of the Army general's passing sedan.
However, newspapers reported a number of different versions. One paper quoted a witness as saying that the general, who was driving alone in his official sedan, was forced to stop at the edge of the road by an unidentified sedan and a motorcycle.
Earlier, a relative of the victim told The Jakarta Post that Tampubolon left his house in a hurry after receiving a call on his handphone, the number of which is known by very few people.
Tampubolon, 54, was an expert staff on economic affairs to the ABRI Chief and a former intelligence deputy assistant to ABRI's chief of general affairs.
He was the first general to be murdered during President Soeharto's 28-year reign.
When asked to comment, criminologist Mulyana W. Kusumah, who is also an executive director of the YLBHI legal aid foundation, yesterday stated that the killing of the general was a very serious case.
Mulyana therefore urged the police to find out and announce the substantial background of the murder.
"Do not let the heart of the public remain troubled because -- psychologically -- the people as well as relatives of the victim need to know the complete story of the killing," he was quoted by Terbit afternoon daily as saying.
During the press conference on Wednesday, Hindarto insisted that there were no other stories behind the killing.
"It's just the result of an insignificant problem," he said.
Tampubolon played a role in the efforts to solve the internal problems at The Toba Batak Protestant Church (HKBP).
The Army brigadier general was buried at the Cikutra hero cemetery in Bandung, West Java, Wednesday.
The four suspects, residents near the scene, are in City Police Headquarters detention.
The four are Rusdi Abdul Rahman, 24, Hendrik Setyawan, 25, Rudiyanto, 24, and Lukman, 30.
Police said that Rusdi, a security guard, is the one who stabbed Tampubolon with his bayonet and Hendrik, a construction worker, wounded the general with his machete. (bsr)