Jusuf Wanandi meets authorities' summons

Jusuf Wanandi meets authorities' summons

JAKARTA (JP): Jusuf Wanandi was questioned for almost five
hours by the city branch of the Agency for the Coordinating of
Support for National Stability (Bakorstanasda Jaya) yesterday, in
connection with an explosion in a cheap apartment in Tanah Tinggi
last month.

Jusuf, who's brother Sofjan Wanandi has twice been interviewed
about the same incident, was questioned by a team of
Bakorstanasda Jaya officers at the Jakarta Military Police
headquarters on Jl. Guntur, South Jakarta, from 9 a.m to 2 p.m,
without a lawyer present.

Bakorstanasda Jaya spokesman Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi told
reporters that Jusuf said he was not acquainted with any of the
suspects in the case and denied any role in the blast.

As with his brother, Sofjan and Media Indonesia general
manager Surya Paloh, who has also been questioned, Jusuf was
summoned by security authorities following discovery of documents
suggesting he provided financial support to those suspected of
causing the explosion.

"He looked fine when we showed him the documents," Nachrowi,
who is also spokesman for the Jakarta Military Command, said.

Both Jusuf and Sofjan are executives of the Centre for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think-thank
research group.

According to Nachrowi, Jusuf has promised to help the
authorities investigate the case and will give himself up if
officers prove his involvement.

The hand-made bomb, which was not very powerful, exploded on
the evening of Sunday Jan. 18 at a rented room in the Tanah
Tinggi apartment. There were no fatalities, but part of the
ceiling of the room was badly damaged.

Police so far have detained two men, identified as Agus Priono
and Rahmat Basuki, for illegally making and possessing the bomb.
Agus was caught by his neighbors at the scene and Rahmat was
arrested in Yogyakarta on Jan. 31.

The two have claimed themselves to be sympathizers of the
outlawed People's Democratic Party (PRD).

PRD's chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko, currently serving a 13
years prison sentence, was questioned on Wednesday. He denied
that the two suspects were members of his party, his lawyers said
in a statement.

The documents found at the scene of the explosion are also
believed to contain the names of other people, not yet made
public by the authorities.

Nachrowi denied yesterday that the questioning of the three
figures was orchestrated by the military. The investigation into
the bomb blast will without any deadline, he added. (jun)