Military police take over STABO case
Military police take over STABO case
JAKARTA: The Military Police Command has taken over from the
Army the investigation into the death of eight Army Special
Forces (Kopassus) soldiers during a rehearsal for the Indonesian
Military anniversary celebration in Aceh on Oct. 4.
Military Police Commander Maj. Gen. Sulaeman AB said on
Thursday he had appointed Col. Suratno to lead the probe, which
could lead to prosecution.
The Kopassus soldiers died after they plunged from a
helicopter in waters off Lhokseumawe in North Aceh while
conducting a stabilized tactical airborne operation (STABO)
maneuver. The harness they were hanging onto from the helicopter
when the helicopter became unstable in a gust of wind.
The helicopter was hovering at 600 feet above sea level at the
time.
Sulaeman said the investigation would focus on whether the
decision to cut the harness was justified. -- JP
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Golkar to celebrate 39th anniversary
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Golkar to celebrate 39th anniversary
JAKARTA: About 25,000 Golkar Party supporters are expected to
attend the party's 39th anniversary celebration in Denpasar,
Bali, on Oct. 25.
Party chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Thursday the celebration
would be aimed at boosting unity among supporters ahead of the
2004 elections.
Akbar, who is bidding for the presidency despite a graft
conviction, will deliver a political speech at the event.
As part of Golkar's anniversary celebration, the party's
leaders will also lay wreaths at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in
Jakarta on Oct. 20, which coincides with party's anniversary.
According to Akbar, the party always organizes anniversary
celebrations in places outside of Jakarta. In the past three
years, anniversary celebrations have taken place in West, Central
and East Java. -- JP
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House legislators to visit East Timor
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House legislators to visit East Timor
JAKARTA: A group of House of Representatives members plan to
visit East Timor in a move to improve ties between lawmakers of
the two neighboring countries.
The Indonesian legislators will share their experiences in the
legislation process with their East Timorese counterparts.
The deputy chairman of the House's inter-parliamentary
cooperation team, Prasetya, reported the plan to House Speaker
Akbar Tandjung on Thursday.
East Timor, the former 27th province of Indonesia, seceded
from Indonesia after a UN-sponsored ballot resulted in an
overwhelming vote for independence in 1999.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has asked for input from the
legislators to upgrade Indonesia's Interest Section Office in
Dili into an embassy, but the lawmakers have not responded.
Several weeks ago the President named an intelligence officer
to the ambassadorial post in Dili, but his placement is awaiting
the House's response to the appointment. -- JP
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Lawyer hired to represent KPU
JP/4/SCENE
Lawyer hired to represent KPU
JAKARTA: The General Elections Commission (KPU) has named
noted lawyer Amir Syamsuddin to represent the commission in the
any legal disputes.
The KPU said in a statement that Amir was hired on Thursday to
represent it.
"His appointment was decided in a plenary meeting," KPU member
Hamid Awaluddin said.
He said the lawyer would start by preparing legal moves
against sociologist Laode Ida, who the KPU has accused of
discrediting it.
Laode accused the 11-member commission of accepting bribes and
wasting taxpayers' money by demanding official residences worth
Rp 649 billion (US$77 million). KPU has denied the allegations.
The finance ministry approved in July the allocation of Rp 952
million from the state budget to provide each commission member
with a house.
Hamid admitted that the commission members receive stipends
for sitting on committees set up by the KPU, apart from monthly
allowances. Laode claims the extra money reached Rp 30 million.
-- JP