Pedophile case being investigated

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police are still investigating a report about alleged sexual offenses against young boys in Indonesia committed by a Swiss man who was arrested recently in his country.

National Police deputy spokesman Col. Bambang Haryoko said yesterday that his office had also been waiting for confirmation from the National Central Bureau (NCB) at Interpol whether or not the institution had been contacted by Swiss authorities about the case.

"I can't even confirm whether the suspect was really abusing children in this country," he told The Jakarta Post.

Bambang was commenting on a report released by Reuters Wednesday on the arrest of the unidentified man by Swiss police for his alleged involvement with young boys aged between five and 15 in Indonesia from 1991 to 1997.

The report said the police had placed the man under preventive detention following the confiscation of some pedophilic photographs of young boys from the suspect's house.

It also said the Swiss police were collaborating with Indonesian authorities in the case.

Bambang said that it was possible that the Swiss police had contacted the Indonesian Embassy in Switzerland. (cst)