Police arrest suspects in PT Kadera attack

JAKARTA (JP): City Police have named two suspects in connection with their alleged involvement in a recent attack on striking workers of car upholstery producer PT Kadera AR Indonesia (KAI).

Outgoing City Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Harry Montolalu said on Tuesday the two men, identified only as Husen and Ismael, were arrested in Serang, Banten on Monday.

The attack took place on Feb. 29 at the company's plant in the Pulogadung industrial estate in East Jakarta, claiming the life of a worker, Kimun Effendi.

"These two suspects were arrested for their alleged role in the murder of Kimun in February," Harry told reporters on Tuesday, refusing to elaborate further on the identity of the suspects.

"We identified them from several photographs which Kimun had taken with them."

Kimun died from shrapnel wounds resulting from the explosion of a homemade bomb in the attack which was conducted by hundreds of men, some of whom were armed with sharp weapons.

Separately, East Jakarta Police detectives have found a link between an Army officer and a Serang councillor -- reportedly the parties behind the attack -- with the deputy general manager of PT Kadera, Amrin Gobel.

The sources said the link was traced from several calls made by Amrin through his mobile phone.

"City police will soon request for an official permit from the West Java administration, in order to question the Serang councillor. Once we get the permit, we'll waste no time in questioning him," East Jakarta Police chief of detectives, Comr. Agus Irianto, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Amrin was questioned by East Jakarta Police detectives last week.

Agus had earlier said that police believed that the attackers were hoodlums hired by a member of the PT Kadera management.

On Monday, several security guards of PT Kadera demanded that Cakung police officers be investigated over the attack.

"Days before the attack, police officers were seen several times in the PT Kadera area in Pulo Gadung, but strangely they arrived at the crime scene several hours after the attack," a security officer who requested anonymity told the Post.

"The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 29 ... but police lines were only drawn out in the area, at 5 p.m. on the same day."

East Jakarta Police sources had said that Agus and a few of his men had gone to Serang last Thursday, to check out the residence of a Serang councillor in Banten, with the hope that they might find out further information.

"Agus and his officers were shocked with what they found ... at least 100 people filled the house of the councillor, most of them hoodlums, along with the Army officer. They seemed to be holding a meeting. The councillor was well-known in the area for funding martial arts training for hoodlums," a police officer who requested anonymity said.

No arrest could be made on the attackers then, since the police were clearly outnumbered. (ylt)