Kalimantan murder case takes a new twist

Kalimantan murder case takes a new twist

JAKARTA (JP): A 1987 murder case that attracted a lot of
controversy over allegations of wrongful convictions has taken a
new twist with the three men, who were convicted and later
released on parole, now the subject of a new police
investigation.

Brig. Gen. Rusdiardjo, head of the National Police Crime
Investigation Directorate, announced yesterday that his office is
gathering evidence against Lingah (51), Pacah (43) and Sumir (43)
for allegedly torturing another person, Asun, into confessing to
the murder.

Rusdiardjo said the police investigation of Asun, already
convicted for the rape and murder of Pacah's daughter, found no
evidence that he also murdered Pamor. Police also talked to six
witnesses who corroborated Asun's story.

Lingah, Pacah and Sumir had already been convicted by the
Ketapang district court in West Kalimantan for killing Pamor with
a shotgun. The motive was inheritance.

Asun, 20, made the startling revelation in 1992 during his
trial for the murder of Pacah's daughter that he also murdered
Pamor. This immediately prompted calls from lawyers and human
rights campaigners to free the three men who were convicted of
and serving jail terms for the murder.

The authorities rejected the demands but the three men were
given conditional release last September. Since then, with the
help of lawyers, they have been fighting to have their names
cleared by the court by demanding that the authorities reopen the
murder case.

"Our investigation found that Asun was intimidated by the
three men into admitting to the killing of Pamor," Rusdiardjo
said, adding that this occurred when Asun was put in the same
detention center in Ketapang with the three men.

There were also allegations that prison guards took part in
beating Asun, but Rusdiardjo refused to deny or confirm this.

Rusdiardjo did not explain how the authorities could have put
Asun in the same jail as the father of the girl he had earlier
raped and murdered.

He acknowledged that it is normal for a convicted rapist,
considered by inmates to be the worst of sinners, to get tortured
by the other inmates. In the case of Asun, his sin had been
further complicated by the fact that the father of the raped girl
was in the same jail.

The police investigation found that Asun was also promised Rp
150,000 ($70) by the three men to admit to Pamor's murder.

"That's a lot of money for someone like Asun, who comes from a
small town," Rusdiardjo said.

Sumir also taught Asun how to use a gun similar to the one the
three used to kill Pamor, in order to make their story more
convincing, he said.

Lingah was serving a 12 year jail term and Pancah and Sumir
were serving 11 years each for the murder. They were released on
parole in September after serving two-thirds of their sentences.

Rusdiardjo said that as far as the police are concerned,
Asun's case is closed.

Now they are turning their investigation to the three men, for
assaulting Asun, he said. (bsr)