Journo's family want regent probed

YOGYAKARTA: The family of slain local journalist Fuad M. Syarifuddin, alias Udin, want the Armed Forces to investigate Col. Sri Roso Sudarmo -- the regent of Bantul -- for his alleged involvement in the murder on August 1996.

In a letter sent to Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung, Udin's father, Hadi Supadmo, said Regent Sri Roso must be questioned because Udin died while working as a journalist in the regency.

"With full respect for the principle of presumption of innocence, we demand that the Armed Forces chief probe Sri Roso for his alleged involvement in the murder. We have strong reasons for making this plea," lawyer Budi Hartono from the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute, who represents Udin's father, said yesterday.

Udin failed to regain consciousness and died in hospital three days after being bashed by an unidentified man or group of men at his home in Bantul, some 15 kilometers south of here.

Many, including the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), believe that Udin's death had something to do with his critical reporting of alleged corruption in the local administration.

Last November, Bantul District Court freed Dwi Sumaji who police suspected of killing Udin. (44)