Nurdin sends off team from hospital room

Nurdin sends off team from hospital room

JAKARTA: The chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia,
Nurdin Halid, a suspect in a sugar smuggling case, sent off on
Thursday the national under-20 team on a tour of Southeast Asian
countries from his hospital bed at the Sukamto Police Hospital in
East Jakarta.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung
Sudjono said police allowed the soccer team to visit Nurdin, who
has been hospitalized for the past two weeks, on the grounds of
national interests.

"It does not mean that Nurdin is already healthy enough to
leave the hospital. It was a normal visit. Besides, anybody can
visit a sick person. We can assure you that as soon as he is
declared healthy by doctors, we will take him to police
headquarters (for questioning)," Suyitno said.

Nurdin, who is also chairman of the Confederation of Primary
Cooperatives Association, was detained after police declared him
a suspect in a sugar smuggling scandal. -- JP