Megawati to comply with summons
JAKARTA (JP): The ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri and two of her loyalists will comply with police summonses for questioning tomorrow in connection with last week's riots.
"Megawati has indicated that she will respond to the police summons to the City Police Headquarters for questioning as a witness at 10 a.m. on Monday," R.O. Tambunan, one of Megawati's lawyers, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
Tambunan said that it has yet to be decided whether Megawati will go to city police headquarters with her lawyers, or will simply send them to represent her.
Megawati, who is a member of the House of Representatives from the PDI faction, received the police summons at her residence in a southern suburb on Friday night, he said.
A copy of the summons for Megawati, made available to The Jakarta Post said she is to be questioned in connection with crimes committed between June 17 and July 28 this year.
The crimes are related to the "free speech" forums held daily at the party's headquarters that drew huge enthusiastic crowds.
The government has accused Megawati's supporters of using the free speech forums as platforms for anti-government propaganda.
The military, which helped Megawati's political foes take over the party headquarters, said the activities amounted to an "embryonic stage of coup d'etat".
Megawati's team of lawyers held a meeting at her house yesterday to discuss her responses to possible police questions. Two well-known senior lawyers, Harjono Tjitrosoebono and Soekardjo Adidjojo, are on the team.
Tambunan said that two PDI legislators, Aberson Marle Sihaloho and Sophan Sophiaan, will also appear at the police headquarters tomorrow to comply with the summonses, which were issued for similar reasons.
Sophan and Aberson, as well as several other outspoken House members, had addressed the disputed forums.
Meanwhile, the new, government-backed PDI chairman Soerjadi, who is reportedly also to be questioned in connection with last week's riots, was not available for comment yesterday. A member of his staff at his home told The Post that Soerjadi was still out of the city.
Megawati has filed a lawsuit against the rebel congress committee, the new PDI central board, the government and the military for backing and facilitating the congress which ruled her out of office.
The first hearing for the lawsuit on Thursday was adjourned until Aug. 22 because presiding judge I Gde Ketut Sukarata, who is also head of the Central Jakarta District Court, failed to attend because he had a toothache. (imn)