Police deny report on Army role in bombings

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police claimed on Monday to have never issued any report indicating or stating the involvement of former Army generals in the Christmas Eve bombings that left at least 19 people dead.

After confirming with top police intelligence officials, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said the police had never made, much less issued, a report stating that former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, and former Army chief of staff Gen. R. Hartono, were among those involved in the wave of bomb attacks.

"The police have no evidence as yet that Prabowo or R. Hartono, or any other military officers were involved in the bombings. We have also never made such a report," Saleh said.

He was speaking in relation to a report on an interview with President Abdurrahman Wahid, which was carried in the latest edition of the international newsmagazine Newsweek.

The report clearly quotes President Abdurrahman as saying that Prabowo was upset that his name was mentioned in the "police report."

Abdurrahman, on his return from a visit to Singapore later in the day, was quoted by presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar as saying that the President would not retract his comments regarding Prabowo and Hartono.

"That (statement) will be as appeared in Newsweek. If you are careful, (the statement) is not that strong, he only said the names were under investigation," Wimar told detik.com news website.

When asked what the President meant by "police report" if it did not exist, Saleh said: "One must understand the situation surrounding the President when he is asked to answer such a question. He must have had his reasons (in answering the question), which I have no idea about."

Eighteen blasts occurred in front of churches and at the homes of clergymen and 15 other bombs were defused in at least three other cities on Dec. 24 last year.

In the same interview with the magazine, President Abdurrahman said the government knew where former president Soeharto's fugitive son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra was hiding.

"He lives in the house of a former general. We know exactly where the house is. The problem is having enough evidence for the police to act. They will when the time is right," Wahid said.

"I am confident that within two months we will have him." (ylt)