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