Missing Megawati loyalist reunited with his family

MOJOKERTO, East Java (JP): Haryanto Taslam, a loyal supporter of ousted Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, was reunited with his family yesterday after going missing for six weeks.

The 44-year-old politician, whose disappearance caused a public outcry and sparked rumors that he had been abducted by the military, appeared healthy yesterday.

"Nothing restive occurred (during the disappearance)," he cheerfully told The Jakarta Post who visited him at his parents' home 40 kilometers west of Surabaya, hours after he was reunited with his 70-year-old father Taslam, his mother, his wife Ani Agustina and 16-year-old son Mbarep Antasena at the Satelit Hotel in Surabaya.

"I am healthy and fit. I am not depressed. I will never change and I will keep on fighting for Megawati's PDI," he told the Post.

Despite his cheery demeanor, Haryanto repeatedly answered "no comment" when asked about the period during which he was reported missing.

Haryanto disappeared on March 9 after checking into a hotel in Jakarta. He was one of at least seven student activists and government critics reported missing in recent weeks.

Haryanto contacted his friends and family for the first time in six weeks when he called another Megawati's loyalist, Soetjipto, who chairs the East Java PDI chapter, in Surabaya on Friday.

"I thank God and I am very happy that my son has returned to his family. I have advised him to be more careful from now on," said Taslam, a retired police officer who won several medals for his service during the guerrilla war which lead to Indonesian independence.

Haryanto said he would give a full account of his disappearance to Megawati on Wednesday or Thursday. Only after that would he explain his disappearance to the public, he added.

"Please, give me some time to enjoy my family first. Let my family and I satisfy our longing for each other first," he pleaded.

He joked that he was still 80 kilograms, and would retain his commitment to a PDI under Megawati's leadership.

Asked whether he followed reports about his disappearance in the mass media, Haryanto again answered with an enigmatic "no comment".

"In time, I will clarify the matter with the public, either in a personal capacity or my capacity as a PDI leader," he said. (nur)