Munir's death probe: How far can it go?

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta

It's been seven months since rights activist Munir Said Thalib, popularly known as Munir, died of arsenic poisoning on a flight to the Netherlands, while the government-sanctioned fact-finding team and the police have yet to complete the inquiry into the case.

A autopsy report by the Dutch police revealed that the 38-year-old activist had nearly 500 milligrams of arsenic in his body, four times the lethal dose.

Munir was an outspoken critic of the government and the military, accusing the latter of human rights violations in the troubled provinces of Papua and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and of running a criminal network involved in illegal logging and drug trafficking.

The prolonged investigation and the level of involvement of the murder suspects who are considered the "executors" rather than the masterminds behind the murder is obvious proof that the team and the police find it difficult to uncover the truth and/or conduct the investigation.

The police have only named three Garuda (national flag carrier) officials, who were on the Sept. 7, 2004 flight, as suspects. They are pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who was on board but off-duty during the flight, and flight attendants Dedi Iriyanto and Yeti Susmaryati.

The only lead is that it is widely rumored that Pollycarpus was once attached to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), however this has yet to be substantiated.

Without ignoring the possibility of the involvement of other organizations or individuals in Munir's death, the reason why the focus of attention has moved to BIN is understandable because of its predecessor's notorious track record, that is, the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency -- BAKIN.

Apart from the alleged BIN connection, House of Representatives member Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction had hinted that, at the very least, intelligence officers were involved in the murder. Djoko quoted the progress report of the fact-finding team, which indicated the involvement of a number of former senior intelligence officers.

In response to the progress in the investigation, BIN chairman Syamsir Siregar has instructed three BIN officers to assist the police and the investigating team. Syamsir, however, has declined to reveal the identity of the three officers, leaving the public guessing about their capability and contribution to the success of the ongoing investigation.

The investigation, however, is still far from completion as even if the finding of the investigating team later uncovers a link between the death of Munir and the intelligence agency, it still has to find out whether the agency was involved as an institution or only individuals linked to the agency.

If we turn back the clock to the date of Munir's death, the case occurred when the agency was still under the leadership of Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono. Hendro, as the general is popularly known, tendered his resignation on Oct. 20, 2004 when Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took his oath as the country's new president replacing Megawati Soekarnoputri.

It is common practice in any intelligence organization that no matter how covert an intelligence operation may be, the chief of the intelligence organization must be aware of it.

It is also the responsibility of the agency chief to report to the president any significant or high-profile activities of the agency. The country's constitution places the BIN chief under the president, meaning that he reports directly to the president.

It is also not impossible then that the president -- Megawati -- also knew about the case.

It is therefore a challenge for the police and the investigating team to uncover the truth and reveal it to the public. It is also a challenge for the three BIN officers assisting the investigation to show that their inclusion in the investigation is fruitful.

The author is a staff writer for The Jakarta Post.