Police blamed for trial delay

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The South Sulawesi High Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday it had completed the case files of two police officers charged with human rights abuses in Papua province a month ago.

Prosecutors could not present the dossiers to an ad hoc court in Makassar, South Sulawesi, because the National Police had yet to hand over the two suspects to them for trial.

"There are no other problems outstanding. The drafting of charges is already completed and has been approved by the attorney general ... But what is hampering us is that the two suspects have not been handed over to us," said Mailan Syarieff, a senior official at the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor's Office.

He said his office had twice written to the National Police asking for the handover of the suspects -- Brig. Gen. Johny Wainal Usman and Sr. Comr. Daud Sihombing.

However, the request had not been responded to as the two suspects remained on active duty, Mailan added.

Wainal and Daud are both charged with having a role in a deadly clash between police officers and people in Abepura, Papua, in November 2000, which killed at least five civilians.

The clash was sparked by sweeps on local villagers, following an attack on a police station in Abepura by a group of armed men. --JP