Police search SIRA offices for evidence
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police raided three offices of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) on Monday night in connection with last Thursday's bombing in South Jakarta, which claimed three lives.
Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam told reporters on Tuesday that they also confiscated evidence from offices in Taman Mini in East Jakarta, Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta and Bogor.
"The evidence could have been used by SIRA activists, linked to the Guntur bombing in South Jakarta."
A non-governmental organization based in Aceh, SIRA has been known for its support of the province's independence. It had organized a mass rally last November to call for a referendum on independence.
"In any case, we were not looking for Faisal Syaifuddin (SIRA Jakarta coordinator). We have summoned him to show up at Jakarta Police this Thursday for questioning. We were looking for evidence, and there was a hope that we might find Diana there," Anton told reporters.
Diana is reportedly one of two SIRA activists, who according to police played a large role in the Guntur bombing. Both Diana and the other suspect, Gafi, are still at large.
The suspects allegedly assembled the bombs to be placed at certain locations on May 12 in order to create social unrest, the same day the 1998 deaths of four students were being commemorated.
National Police sources said the primary suspect, Taufik Abdullah, admitted to having received specific instructions from Gafi at least five days prior to the bombing, to blow up several places in Jakarta if military soldiers were sent to Aceh.
Another police source said one of the men who died in the blast, Kardu alias Du alias Abu, was the "bomb-assembler" who had been called by Gafi to come to Jakarta, to make bombs.
SIRA's Jakarta chapter has denied its alleged role in Thursday's bombing, noting that SIRA always pursued non-violence activities.
Faisal Syaifuddin then demanded the police and military apologize for their baseless accusation.
He also lamented the police investigation into the bombing, in which witnesses were not allowed to be accompanied by lawyers, and where the principle of the presumption of innocence was not upheld.
"The police should restore our (good) name and hold a transparent investigation," Faisal said.
Meanwhile SIRA chairman Muhammad Nazar told reporters in Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, on Tuesday that his office in Banda Aceh was attacked and the telephone connection cut off by the police mobile brigade (Brimob). A big SIRA banner was also removed from the office, he said. (ylt/50)