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.