Megawati orders quick arrest of Tommy Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri has ordered the police to immediately arrest the fugitive son of former president Soeharto, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, after linking him to a series of bomb attacks and the murder of a prominent judge.
Megawati's secretary Bambang Kesowo said on Wednesday that the President gave the order to National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro and Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb last week.
"The President asked the police to resolve the problem immediately and to step up efforts to arrest Tommy, because he has been convicted," Bambang told journalists on Wednesday.
Police declared on Monday night that Tommy was the main suspect in the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita -- who had sentenced Tommy -- following the arrest of the murder suspects. Police on Monday found a stockpile of weapons, a number of documents and a fake ID card belonging to Tommy in a house he allegedly rented for his friends in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta. Tommy has been on the run since last November when he was sentenced to 18 months in jail for corruption.
The President asked the police to work very carefully with the bombing cases, as they have, so far, failed to capture the mastermind.
Bambang also quoted the President as condemning recent bomb attacks.
"She is very worried and concerned about (the bombings). She has asked security officers to take appropriate action to prevent and stop such occurrences," he said.
Police have arrested at least 10 people suspected of involvement in the murder of Justice Syafiuddin.
The suspects had confessed to the police that the killing was ordered by Tommy. The judge was fatally shot by two of the suspects, identified as Noval Hadad and Mulawarman, on July 26, in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on his way to work.
Syafiuddin was a member of a panel of judges that sentenced Tommy for graft in a land exchange deal involving State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and Tommy's firm PT Goro Batara Sakti.
Separately, city police raised the cash reward on Wednesday from Rp 25 million (US$2,777) to Rp 500 million for anyone who had information on Tommy's whereabouts.
"Some businessmen who asked not to be named, have promised to give Rp 500 million to anyone who has information on Tommy's whereabouts," city police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb told reporters.
Sofjan said the reward was aimed at encouraging the public to give information on the whereabouts of Tommy, alias Ibrahim, who currently has a moustache, beard and has grown his hair longer than before.
He warned people that Tommy was a dangerous man because he always carried a gun and a grenade under his shirt and had a bag containing bombs.
Police are currently monitoring one of the Soeharto family's houses in Dalem Kalitan, Solo, Central Java.
"We are closely monitoring the house, as well as hotels in the city, which were often visited by Tommy," Solo Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Sudarisman said on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, some members of the House of Representatives Commission I for Political and Security Affairs visited Jakarta Police Headquarters.
"Besides congratulating the police, we wanted to make sure whether the arrest of the suspects was real and that the arrests were not engineered," Commission chairman Yasril Ananta Baharuddin said.
After interviewing three of the suspects, Yasril of the Golkar Party, concluded that the police had not concocted the case.
However, Legislator Hajriyanto Y. Tohari, also from Golkar, said that they could not conclude whether the arrest was engineered or not just by questioning the suspect for one hour.
Legislator Joko Susilo of the National Mandate Party said the suspects admitted that Tommy acted as an imam (leader) for a magrib (sunset prayer) before deciding to buy motorcycles, which were then used to carry out the assassination of the judge.
The three suspects, who were interviewed by the legislators were Dodi Hardjito, Dedi Setiadi Yusuf and Ferry Ukom. The three are Tommy's schoolmates and friends.
"They helped Tommy (in the murder) because of their close emotional ties. They have received financial support from Tommy," Legislator Sophan Sophiaan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said.
Sophan said, during the interview, the suspects asked for protection for themselves and their families while in police detention.
In Yogyakarta, Army chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto promised stern action against military officers found to have assisted Tommy.
"Helping him means a violation of the law, because he is a fugitive," Endriartono told reporters at Yogyakarta Army Hospital on Wednesday. (44/har/dja/jun)