Police drop all charges against driver blamed for bus explosion
Police drop all charges against driver blamed for bus explosion
Moch. N. Kurniawan and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Indramayu
The government has blamed crew members for the recent bus
explosion in Indramayu, which killed at least 13 people, but the
local police released them of any charges.
J.A. Barata, spokesman for the Director General of Land
Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, said the bus
explosion was a legal matter because passenger buses were barred
from transporting explosives.
"In terms of legal responsibility, the crew members of buses
are assumed to know whether passengers' luggage is harmful or
not," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone here on Monday.
At least 13 people were killed and many others seriously
injured in a bus explosion in Legok village, Lohbener subdistrict
last week. The explosion, which destroyed the bus, was allegedly
caused by five boxes of firecrackers stored inside the vehicle's
luggage compartment. The bus exploded and caught fire on its way
from Cirebon to Merak in Banten.
Barata said the government was still considering whether to
impose penalties against the bus firm employing the driver after
the police completed its investigation of the case.
He cited that according to Law No. 41/1993 on land
transportation, explosive substances are only allowed aboard
special transportation.
The law also stipulates that a transportation firm's license
can be revoked if it hires an unqualified driver.
Barata rejected the idea that the government should take
responsibility for the incident.
"It's impossible for us to check every passenger on every
passenger bus every day. Our job is to issue licenses on whether
public transportation meet required standards, and to issue
regulations on public transportation," he said.
Separately, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society
Suyono Dikun opposed Barata's explanation, saying not only the
owner and crew of the bus, but also the government was in charge
of issuing operating licenses and other vehicle ownership
documents and should be held responsible for the explosion.
"The directorate general for land transportation must bear
responsibility because it has failed to provide safety assurances
to the public," he said.
Meanwhile, Indramayu Police Chief Supt. Eko Hadi Sutedjo said
the bus driver Darsim and his two aides Gendut and Samsuri, had
been released by the police because the police lacked sufficient
evidence to arrest them and bring the case to court.
He cited Nui, a passenger believed to be the owner of the
firecrackers, who was killed in the incident.
"No one is being held as suspects, the case is closed," he
said.
Under Emergency Law No 12/1951, transporting explosives is
illegal.
It carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty, a life
sentence or 20 years in jail.
However, Eko said the police were still investigating the
cause of the bus explosion. He added there was a possibility the
explosion occurred in the bus's fuel tank.