Police to question 8 more for subversion

Police to question 8 more for subversion

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police have thus far summoned 12
opposition figures for questioning on suspicion of trying to
topple President B.J. Habibie's government and plan to question
eight others on the same charges.

The head of the General Crimes Unit, Col. Edi Darnadi, told
The Jakarta Post that the "arrests for questioning" of the 20
people "have nothing to do with the political elites."

"Police are protected by Articles 16 and 17 of the Penal Code
to arrest and question anybody suspected of committing crimes,
meaning that we do all these things in line with the existing
rules," Edi, who next week is scheduled take up his new post as
Bone Police chief in South Sulawesi, said on Tuesday.

Giving no names about the eight other people, Edi said seven
suspects would be summoned for questioning at his office on Jl.
Trunojoyo in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Today (Tuesday), we have two suspects, Roch Basoeki
Mangoenprojo and Koen (Soekarno)," the officer said.

But reports on Tuesday evening said that the police failed to
question Roch as the later could not reach his lawyers to
accompany him.

Irianto from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, who is also
secretary of the suspects' team of lawyers, told the Post on
Tuesday that Usep Ranuwihardjo of the Indonesian National Party
(PNI) and Waskito of the Indonesian People Party (PARI) would be
questioned by police on similar charges on Wednesday.

According to police data, the 12 already questioned include
former Jakarta governor Marine Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin; former
head of Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret)
A. Kemal Idris; the youngest daughter of former president
Sukarno, Sukmawati Soekarnoputri; politician Sri Bintang
Pamungkas; his elder brother, economist Sri Edi Swasono;
University of Indonesia Alumni (Iluni) chairman Hariadi Darmawan;
businessman Meilono Suwondo; Iluni executive M. Haryono
Kartohadiprojo; soothsayer Permadi; Pribadiyo S.; Roch Basoeki
Mangoenprojo and Koen Soekarno.

Most of them were picked up by police detectives at different
places and times beginning early Saturday evening, one day after
the bloody "Black Friday" incident at Semanggi.

Almost all of the people were named as suspects on their
respective warrants. But none of them have been detained by the
police.

Edi said they were "arrested for questioning".

Today's list

According to Irianto, Ali Sadikin, Kemal Idris, Sri Bintang
and Roch Basoeki are to be questioned again together with Usep
and Waskito on Wednesday.

On Monday, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M.
Sianipar told a media briefing that summonses against the
suspects were issued to the signatories of a joint communique
declaration which was made public last Thursday.

Police have coordinated with the Ministry of Justice's
Directorate General of Immigration and the Jakarta Prosecutor's
Office to prevent the 10 people from leaving the country.

Roch and Koen had yet to be named at the time he was speaking.

"We have prohibited the 10 people from going abroad until we
finish the questioning process and draw final conclusions," Togar
said.

Irianto said the team of lawyers for the suspects would
consist of more than 150 lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aids
Foundation (YLBHI), the Indonesian Bar Association (Ikadin), the
Association of Indonesian Lawyers (IPHI), the Indonesian
Advocates Association (AAI), Lawyers for the Defense of
Indonesian Democracy (TPDI).

The team is coordinated by YLBHI chairman Bambang Widjojanto
and supported by -- among others -- Todung Mulya Lubis, Otto
Hasibuan and Hotma Sitompul.

Noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who represents Ali Sadikin,
said on Monday the police had overreacted in summoning the 10
people as they were equipped with warrants instead of just
ordinary summonses.

Roch told reporters on Tuesday that he and his colleagues who
signed the communique "have no intention of trying to topple the
government".

"Is it wrong that we support student demonstrations?" Roch
asked.

Police said the suspects convened at the Andrawina room in
Sahid Jaya Hotel on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta and signed a
strong antigovernment declaration, a joint communique, demanding
that Habibie's government be replaced.

"This declaration indirectly or directly interrelates with
their previous action of mass recruitment with which the suspects
then enforced their dissenting opinion," Togar said.

The declaration was also related to the wave of student
protests so that fresh unrest hit the capital, he claimed.

"A student deliberately hit soldiers in a cordon that was
blocking students from marching. There was even the throwing of
Molotov cocktails at police and soldiers and attacks on public
facilities," Togar said.

The figures are suspected of violating Article 107 and Article
110 of the Criminal Code on subversion, which carry maximum
penalties of lifetime imprisonment.

However, noted law expert Loebby Luqman who was summoned to
brief police said there were many classifications of an attack on
the government and each should be carefully interpreted.

"There are many layers of subversion. It can also refer to an
intention accompanied by initial action. So if it is just a mere
intention, it can't be categorized as a subversive action," he
said Monday when asked to comment on the 10 suspects' case.

Kemal Idris, who revisited the police headquarters at about
2:30 p.m. on Monday, strongly denied that his group was involved
in a subversive act against the government.

"If anyone thinks that we're attempting a coup against the
government, she or he is crazy," he said. (bsr/emf/ind/46)