Police to question Garuda crew on Munir's death

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Almost two weeks after the revelation that rights campaigner Munir died of arsenic poisoning, the National Police will finally start its investigation by questioning the Garuda flight crew members who flew the activist to the Netherlands.

National Police Detective chief Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono said on Thursday that sometime this week the police would question pilots, co-pilots and stewardesses of Garuda flights from Jakarta to Amsterdam, to collect information relating to Munir's untimely death.

"We will question the pilots and co-pilots on the flights, the stewardess who gave Munir refreshments, and Dr. Tarmidzi Hakim who was with Munir during his critical moments," Suyitno told reporters on the sideline of a House of Representatives hearing with National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

Suyitno said that information from the crews would be critical in shedding light on the circumstances relating to Munir's death.

"The autopsy report does not give us enough substantial information, such as when Munir died and how the arsenic was given to him," he said.

He said the police had notified Garuda executives about the planned investigations. Garuda spokesman Pujobroto had earlier said the management of the Indonesian flag carrier pledged to assist the police with their investigation.

Munir died three hours before a Garuda flight landed at Schipol Airport on Sept. 7.

An autopsy by a Dutch forensic team found excessive levels of arsenic in Munir's stomach, blood and urine, suggesting that the activist had died of poisoning.

The National Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have dispatched a joint team to the Netherlands to run an investigation into Munir's death. However, the team appears to have gone to the Netherlands unprepared for a full-fledged investigation, as shown by its failure to produce an official request from the Indonesian government to obtain the original copy of the autopsy report.

On Thursday a number of House members criticized the police's slow response to Munir's death and the investigating team's inaction in the face of intricacies of the Dutch bureaucracy.

"I was told that members of the investigating team could barely speak English and had to use interpreters during their visit. I doubt if they could work effectively," legislator Trimedya Panjaitan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

Trimedya added that another team set up by the police in Jakarta had barely started work to investigate into Munir's death.

Separately, Chief Justice Bagir Manan said the police did not have to secure court approval in order to start investigations based on the copy of autopsy documents sent by the Dutch government to Jakarta.

"The police could continue their investigation without the consent of the court," he said.

Police had considered seeking a court decision concerning the validity of the documents, which were produced in a foreign country.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said the government had yet to determine the structure and design of the independent team to investigate Munir's death.

"I still don't know what the team will look like," he said after a meeting with a number of activists in his office.

In a meeting with Munir's wife, Suciwati, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono agreed to establish an independent team to investigate the case.