'Our sense of humanity is already dead'

'Our sense of humanity is already dead'

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The "public show" displayed by National Police chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar and Bali bombing suspect Amrozi during their face-to-
face meeting on Wednesday has sparked outrage from analysts here,
who lament what they called an insult to humanity.

They said on Thursday the way the police chief and a man who
confessed to helping plan the killing of 190 people shook hands,
laughed and posed for photographs, cast doubt over the
seriousness of the country's security authorities in
investigating the bomb attack.

The one-hour meeting at the Bali police headquarters on
Wednesday also drew criticism that Da'i was trying to take credit
for the breakthrough in the case, away from his subordinates, who
are investigating the case currently under international
spotlight.

"I am disappointed with the appearance of Da'i together with
Amrozi as they looked like friends. It is one of the worst
signals for Indonesia in dealing with the bombing suspect," M.
said Riefqi Muna, a defense analyst with the Research Institute
for Democracy and Peace (RIDeP).

Also, socio-political analyst Fachry Ali called on Thursday
the meeting "a publicly open theater in which Amrozi was the main
actor, not Da'i".

Australians too were outraged by the images of the smiling,
waving bomber -- televised across Australia and splashed across
front pages.

Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer lashed out at the
images as "ugly images" that would distress relatives of the over
190 people killed.

"I looked at him on television this morning, you know laughing
and joking and waving, and I think to myself, how would I feel if
one of my children, or another one of my family members or a
loved one had been killed?" Downer told reporters.

"I think these people are so bloodthirsty. Their sort of ugly,
sneering, amused attitude at the slaughter of innocent people,
it's just horrific that there are people like that."

Australian opposition leader Simon Crean described Amrozi's
public interrogation as bizarre and insensitive.

Such jovial greetings were also bestowed on high-profile
murder suspect Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, (later found guilty
sentenced to 15 years) when he was hugged by broad-smiling
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb as the former was
brought to the police headquarters following his capture after a
year on the run last November. Afterwards, both Sofjan and Tommy
appeared in a joint press conference which looked more like a
welcome party for Tommy who Sofjan had once called, "a very
dangerous man".

Riefqi described the gesture by Da'i in the meeting as "part
of the police's lack of professionalism" in the inquiry of the
devastating Bali attack.

"By the laughter displayed at the event, it does not help the
process of punishing violent offenders, because a person who
confesses guilt in a crime can still be received like a friend by
the police. This shows that our sense of humanity is already
dead," Riefqi told The Jakarta Post.

The meeting, in which Da'i questioned Amrozi -- the only
suspect in custody so far for the terrorist attack on Bali -- was
held in a room with windows, allowing scores of journalists and
others to look on. Amrozi had his handcuffs taken off and wore
his detention uniform during the questioning.

Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, head of the multinational team
investigating the case, and his spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward
Aritonang were also there. However, they were not involved in the
dialog, instead Da'i was accompanied by his close aide Brig. Gen.
Timbul Silaen, who was recently acquitted of human rights
violations in East Timor by an ad hoc court.

In a news conference held after Wednesday's showcase with
Amrozi, the police chief also appeared alone to speak to a crowd
of waiting journalists.

Questions were swirling over why Da'i was not accompanied at
the event by Pastika and Aritonang they were the police officers
most responsible for the Bali bombing inquiry.

Da'i defended on Thursday his controversial gesture in the
questioning, saying it was aimed at dispelling suspicion that the
police were orchestrating the Bali bombing probe.

"We had to be relaxed and use a psychological method in the
interrogation so Amrozi would speak out," he said.

The police general said he met the suspect to show to the
public that Amrozi was indeed the man the police had hunted for
and that the arrest was not manipulated.

Riefqi said Da'i should have involved the investigators in
charge in order to show that the probe was serious and not just a
circus.

"It is the same as the old security officers who always wanted
to steal the credit from their subordinates, especially in major
criminal cases," he said.

"That's common within our security authorities. Remember the
case of Tommy," he added.

Riefqi said the meeting was probably aimed at showing to the
people that the police treated Amrozi properly in the
investigation following widespread public suspicion and
speculation that the East Javanese suspect was forced to admit to
the bombing.

"But the way they presented it was absurd," he stressed.