Megawati faces fresh police questioning

Megawati faces fresh police questioning

JAKARTA (JP): Ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri is facing a fresh round of police
questioning for holding a "political meeting" without an official
permit at her residence on Jan. 10.

Megawati, who was grilled last year as a witness in the case
of the well-known July 27 riots in Jakarta, will be questioned
with her husband Taufik Kiemas.

Chief of the South Jakarta Police Detective Capt. Ricko
Almenza said here yesterday the police have received a letter
from the Attorney General's office authorizing them to question
the two politicians.

"We received the letter this afternoon and we are going to
meet tonight to decide when to summon them," Ricko told The
Jakarta Post yesterday.

Megawati and Taufik will be questioned as witnesses to the
event on Jan. 10 when, with hundreds of Megawati's supporters,
they celebrated the PDI's 24th anniversary at their house in
South Jakarta.

Megawati "disguised" the gathering as a breaking of the fast
dinner, at which she issued a political statement attacking the
government-backed Soerjadi who toppled her at a rebel congress in
Medan last year. She also criticized the government for meddling
in the PDI's internal affairs.

The anniversary party was held in defiance of Armed Forces
Commander Feisal Tanjung's threat to take punitive action if it
was held without an official permit.

The Attorney General's Office announced Monday it had been
given the green light by President Soeharto to take legal action
against Megawati and Taufik, who are both members of the House of
Representatives.

Under Indonesian law, the President's approval must be sought
for the police to question a House member.

Meanwhile, Megawati's lawyer R.O. Tambunan said he had not
received notice from police about the planned questioning.

"We will find out before we determine our stand," he told the
Post.

Megawati and her husband are liable to prosecution under Law
No. 5 of 1963, which stipulates that official permits are
required for political activities. It carries a maximum penalty
of five years imprisonment. (08)