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