Police arrest suspect for murder of activist

JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested on Saturday a man suspected of murdering Martadinata, a humanitarian worker helping rape victims of the May riots, in her home in Central Jakarta on Friday.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman told reporters early on Sunday at the Central Jakarta Police Precinct that the 22-year-old suspect, Suryadi alias Otong alias Bram, was a neighbor of the victim.

"The unemployed man had planned the murder long before," Noegroho said, adding that the motive for the brutal killing was robbery.

According to the two-star general, police confiscated imitation jewelry belonging to the victim and blood-stained clothes of the suspect, who admitted to have thrown Martadinata's room key into a nearby gutter.

Humanitarian workers had speculated that the brutal murder of the activist was an attempt to cow them into silence, even though police insist it was a purely criminal act.

Noted psychologist Sarlito Wirawan was invited by police to talk with the suspect at the precinct. Sarlito told reporters that he found Suryadi to be mentally healthy.

"He killed the woman because he panicked. He wanted to steal something but he was surprised to find Martadinata at home," Sarlito concluded from the interview.

In a surprising statement, Sarlito also said the victim was allegedly a drug addict, judging from a syringe found under the woman's bed. It was not clear, however, who found the syringe.

Karlina Leksono of Volunteers of Humanity said on Saturday the murder of 18-year-old Martadinata -- better known as Ita and also a member of Volunteers -- at her Central Jakarta home was unlikely to be a random criminal act.

Several members of her organization and human rights groups working with the rape victims revealed at the conference that they had received harassing phone calls and threats they would be killed if they revealed details about the rapes.

"The killing was done to warn the activists not to go further with their investigation," said Ester Indahyani Jusuf Lubis, chairwoman of Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa, which was formed in June to fight racial discrimination.

Although she admitted the murder was a terrible blow for the activists, Ester vowed to continue with her work to uncover facts behind the May riots, which left about 1,200 people dead.

Despite intense public speculation, police did not budge from their stance that Ita's killing was unrelated to her work with the rape victims.

"Ita's murder is a purely criminal case and has nothing to do with any political background," Maj. Gen. Noegroho told reporters on Saturday.

Volunteers for Humanity was the first group to claim that 168 ethnic Chinese women were raped or sexually assaulted during the riots. About 20 reportedly died from their injuries or subsequently committed suicide.

On Saturday, dozens of students and teachers from Paskalis Catholic senior high school visited Ita's house on Jl. Berlian III in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, on Saturday to convey their condolences.

Ita was scheduled to be cremated at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Cilincing crematorium in North Jakarta. (emf/byg)