Police question retired general over speech
Police question retired general over speech
JAKARTA (JP): Maj. Gen. (ret.) Theo Syafei, former chief of
the Udayana Regional Military Command, was summoned by the city
police on Wednesday for questioning concerning reports that he
was responsible for spreading anti-Muslim information and
fomenting hatred against Islam.
City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman told reporters
that the six-hour questioning was part of the police
investigation into the allegations.
"Pak Theo is named as a suspect in our investigation,"
Noegroho said.
Theo reportedly disparaged Muslims in a speech before a group
of Christian youths at a church in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
(NTT), prior to a riot on Nov. 30 involving Muslims and
Christians.
Theo's speech was believed to have fueled Christian resentment
ignited by a bloody riot in Ketapang, West Jakarta, on Nov. 22,
in which many churches were vandalized and burned.
Some people reportedly recorded Theo's speech and distributed
the cassettes to the public. A newly published tabloid Abadi also
ran a special report on Theo's speech and printed the complete
transcript of the cassette.
The top military officer has lodged a complaint against the
tabloid for libel at the city police.
Theo said that he had been libeled by the front-page report of
the Dec. 24 premiere edition of the tabloid under the headline:
Theo dan Kerusuhan Kupang (Theo and the Kupang Riots).
When asked whether police had collected enough evidence for
the case, Noegroho said that the information they had was
adequate and several witnesses had been questioned.
"Today's questioning was intended to hear his side of the
story concerning the allegation," Noegroho said, adding that Theo
would be summoned again if police needed further information.
Theo arrived at the city police headquarters at about 10 a.m.,
accompanied by his lawyers.
Didi Supriyanto, one of Theo's lawyers, said police asked Theo
12 questions, and most of them were about the recorded speech and
its transcript.
"Police have not yet asked him whether or not the voice in the
cassette is his (Theo's)," Didi said.
Police said Theo could be charged with violating Article 156
of the Criminal Code on the spreading of hatred, which carries a
maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Theo served a brief stint as legislator in the Armed Forces
(ABRI) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) before he
was withdrawn in 1997 for criticizing then president Soeharto.
After the questioning, Theo, who recently joined the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) lead by Megawati Soekarnoputri,
said that he was ready to face any charges.
"Yes, I'm ready to face any charges if they (police) can prove
that I'm wrong," he told reporters. (emf)