Investigation into genereal's murder ends
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)