Malaysian tried on murder charge

Malaysian tried on murder charge

JAKARTA (JP): Witnesses to the murder of an Indonesian woman gave conflicting accounts to a district court here yesterday.

One of the witnesses said that the suspect, a Malaysian citizen identified as GS, had made repulsive comments throughout the night prior to the murder, while the other witness denied hearing the comments.

"He told us that he was deprived of women and was sure that he could easily have sex with a woman for only Rp 120,000," Rini, one of the witnesses, said.

Rini, who introduced Wati, the victim, to GS, told the Central Jakarta district court that GS made many repulsive comments throughout the night prior to the murder.

Rini also told the court that GS did not appear to be a threatening man but that she was disappointed at his rude behavior.

"He even kissed me without my consent when we were in his hotel room," Rini said.

However, Mohammad Zumar, who had accompanied GS, told the court that he did not remember such behavior.

"The room was not too large, so it's very likely that I'd see everything that happened," said Mohammad, a driver for the garment factory that invited GS to Indonesia.

On Oct. 16, 1995, a woman was found dead in Sahid Jaya hotel room on Jl. Jendral Sudirman.

The murder is believed to occurred after a heated argument between the suspect and the victim.

On Oct. 15, Wati and Rini visited GS, who was accompanied by Mohammad, and went to dinner at a McDonald's restaurant.

After dinner, they went to the Ancol recreational area in North Jakarta and returned to the hotel afterward.

Muhammad and Rini left the hotel in taxis ordered by GS while Wati stayed behind, saying that she had some matters to discuss with the Malaysian.

Mohammad told the court that GS had whispered to him that Wati would be returning to his room with him after Rini had left.

"I did not think anything of it," Mohammad added.

The hearing was adjourned until next Tuesday. (14)