Police miss 'Tempo' hearing again

Police miss 'Tempo' hearing again

JAKARTA: For the second time, the Central Jakarta
District Court on Monday delayed the hearing of the lawsuit filed against
the police in the Tempo attack case. The hearing was delayed
because the Jakarta Police chief and the Menteng police
subprecint chief were not present.

The suit was filed by the Association of Independent
Journalists (AJI) against the national police chief, the city
police chief, the Central Jakarta police chief and the Menteng
police chief.

The national police chief and the Central Jakarta police chief
sent their lawyers to attend the hearing, but the other two
plaintiffs or their lawyers did not show up.

Lawyer of the national police chief Adj. Comr. Rudy Heriyanto,
said the city police chief had not appointed any lawyer because
he had not received the summons.

According to presiding judge Iskandar Tjake, however, the
summons was sent on May 12 and was received by the public service
unit.

The hearing was postponed for two weeks.

AJI is suing the police because they did nothing to prevent
the assault of several Tempo journalists by tycoon Tomy Winata's
supporters on March 8 at the magazines' office on Jl. Proklamasi,
Central Jakarta, and in the Central Jakarta police office.

About 200 rallied at the magazine's office in protest of an
article implicating Tomy in the recent fire as Tanah Abang
market.--JP