Police question Tutut and Titiek on fugitive Tommy

Police question Tutut and Titiek on fugitive Tommy

JAKARTA (JP): The police questioned two daughters of former
president Soeharto in connection with the case of their brother,
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who was still at large on Saturday
night.

Tommy is a suspect who allegedly masterminded a series of
bombings in the city and the murder of a Supreme Court Judge,
Syafiuddin Kartasasmita last month.

Both of the daughters, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana -- known as
Tutut, and Siti Hediati Harijadi Prabowo -- known as Titiek, went
to Central Jakarta police station on Saturday morning as
witnesses in the case of Hetty Siti Hartika, who is alleged to
have helped Tommy in his criminal actions.

Hetty, a manager of Cemara Apartments in the Menteng area, is
currently being detained at Central Jakarta police station for
hiding the fugitive Tommy from the police and illegal possession
of weapons. Cemara Apartments is reportedly owned by the Soeharto
family.

Hetty is also alleged to have been involved in the murder of
Justice Syafiuddin, and the bombing campaigns that rocked the
city during the last few months.

Chief of Central Jakarta Police Mathius Salempang said that
the questioning was focused on their relationship with Hetty.

Mathius quoted Titiek as saying that she (Titiek) had met
Hetty six years ago and they had become good friends since then.
Whenever Titiek needed somebody to accompany her, she only had to
call Hetty.

"I knew her as a friend," Titiek, who wore a black jacket and
skirt, told reporters, adding that Hetty was not her relative.

When asked about Hetty's involvement in Tommy's case, she
said, "It is impossible that my brother has committed the
criminal actions that have been cited by the police and the
general public."

Unwell

Titiek asked the public not to be prejudiced against her
youngest brother until he had clarified matters himself.

During the questioning, which took about three hours, Titiek
answer all the scheduled 30 questions, while Tutut could only
manage to answer eight, since she was reportedly unwell.

Tutut and Titiek were accompanied by their lawyers, Juan Felix
Tampubolon, Nudirman Munir and Elza Syarif.

Nudirman Munir at first denied that Tutut knew Hetty.

However, when reporters told him about Titiek's statement that
she and Tutut knew Hetty, he said that Tutut had known her for
about three years but they had not had a close relationship.

During the questioning, about 50 people held a demonstration
outside Central Jakarta police station.

Calling themselves the Youth Front, they blamed Tommy for his
alleged actions, including the bombings and the murder of Judge
Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, and asked the police to investigate the
cases seriously.(04)