Megawati orders quick arrest of Tommy Soeharto

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)