Officer to be tried in Udin case

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A detective at the National Police Headquarters, Sec. Adj. Insp. Edy Wuryanto, who is charged with concealing evidence in the murder of local journalist Fuad Muhammad Safruddin in 1996, is currently in detention at the Yogyakarta Police Headquarters, an officer here said on Thursday.

The chief of the Yogyakarta Police's public information section, Adj. Com. Yulianto B.W., said Edy had been in police detention since July 13, a day after a Yogyakarta military tribunal ordered his arrest. Edy is due to stand trial on July 25 at the tribunal.

"The military tribunal also needs Edy for pretrial purposes on July 23," Yulianto said.

The arrest came as a shock to many observers, who have accused the Yogyakarta Police of protecting Edy from trial.

Edy failed to appear at the first trial at the Yogyakarta military tribunal in December last year. The trial was postponed three times because of his absence.

Edy was a detective with the Bantul Police in Yogyakarta when he took part in the investigation of the murder of Bernas reporter Fuad Muhammad Safruddin, alias Udin. The victim's relatives sued Edy for concealing some of Udin's personal belongings, including his notes.

Udin was attacked by unknown assailants on Aug. 16, 1996. He died three days later at Bethesda Hospital in Yogyakarta, without regaining consciousness.

Budi Hartono of the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute, who acted as a lawyer for Udin's relatives, responded positively to Edy's arrest, saying that his presence at the tribunal could shed some light on the case.

"I hope that Edy will honestly tell the court everything he knows about the case," he said.

Budi also urged the Yogyakarta Police to focus their investigation on finding Edy's murderers and those behind the murder. (44)