Megawati's lawyers receive bomb threats

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers for the fractured Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) canceled yesterday their first anniversary celebration, planned for today, following bomb threats.

Chief of the group known as the Public Defenders of Indonesian Democracy (TPDI), R.O. Tambunan, told reporters that the team decided to call off the celebration following a report by a security officer at the planned venue, the Cempaka Hotel in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, about the bomb threats.

The officer said the hotel received phone calls by anonymous sources threatening to bomb the building if the team of lawyers continued to proceed with their celebration.

"We concluded that it was too risky to hold the celebration," Tambunan said.

Last year Tambunan and 3,000 colleagues across the country established TPDI, which filed lawsuits against the government and military officials who backed a PDI congress in Medan, North Sumatra, that ousted Megawati Soekarnoputri as chairwoman and elected her rival, Soerjadi.

The team also represents some of Megawati's supporters who were accused of assaulting people and damaging property in Central Jakarta on July 27 last year.

In addition to the bomb threats, Tambunan said the celebration had to be canceled because the team failed to secure a police permit.

He said the chief of Cempaka Putih Police precinct said his office could not issue a permit because it was the authority of the National Police to do so.

Tambunan expressed bewilderment over the bomb threats and over the police's refusal to grant a permit as, he believed, nobody should have been disturbed by the team's celebration.

"There's nothing to be worried about... it's a mere celebration of our anniversary," he said.

The team had planned, during the celebration, a book launching and the presentation of the Sahardjo Award to former justice Adi Andojo Soetjipto for his campaign for clean law enforcement in the country.

Tambunan said Megawati deeply regretted the developments that led to the cancellation of the celebration.

"She can't understand why the police couldn't issue a permit," Tambunan said. (05)