Police to Question Three TTU DPRD Members Over Doctor's Suicide
The North Central Timor (TTU) Police have questioned colleagues of Dr. Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenoni, known as Dr. Icha, who were present in the emergency department of Leona Hospital during an alleged intimidation incident involving three TTU Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) members. Dr. Icha is believed to have suffered severe depression before taking her own life by hanging.
The councillors to be examined are Veronika Lake of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Norbertus Bani of the National Awakening Party (PKB), and Thrensius Lazakar of the Golkar Party. TTU Police Chief AKBP Eliana Papote confirmed that the three DPRD members would be summoned for clarification shortly.
Eliana also expressed condolences to the family. “First of all, we from the North Central Timor Police express our deepest condolences to the entire extended family of Dr. Icha,” she stated when met at the funeral home in Kupang on Saturday evening.
She noted that although the family has not yet filed a police report, the case is still under investigation. “We at the police have not received a report. However, based on the viral news that has spread on social media, we have already taken several police actions,” she said. “We have taken statements from Dr. Icha’s colleagues who were at the emergency department at the time of the incident,” Eliana added.
The police will also coordinate with the DPRD leadership regarding a complaint filed by the victim’s family with the DPRD’s Ethics Council. Furthermore, police will complete the evidence file with the deceased’s medical records from Leona Hospital and psychological assessment results from Ben Mboi Regional General Hospital. “We will request the medical records from the doctor who treated Dr. Icha during her stay at Leona and coordinate with Ben Mboi regarding her psychological results,” she said.
The investigation has commenced, including awaiting expert criminal and psychological reviews regarding the alleged criminal conduct. On Saturday evening, the TTU Police also oversaw a solidarity action by healthcare workers, who held a joint prayer and candlelight vigil in front of the DPRD office. “We from the TTU Police are committed to following up on this case professionally and transparently and will continue to coordinate with the victim’s family. Therefore, I hope the family entrusts this matter entirely to us,” Eliana concluded.
Meanwhile, the family has urged the TTU Regency Government, the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government, and the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) of NTT to take a firm stance following Dr. Icha’s death. “Firstly, these three DPRD members cruelly killed our child, and we only ask for one thing. The DPRD leadership and the political parties must take a stand on this matter; if not, we, the family, will act in our own way,” Fabianus Banase asserted at the funeral home. Fabianus accused Veronika Lake, a TTU DPRD member from the PDIP faction, of being the main instigator who provoked the initial incident at the Leona Hospital emergency department. “She claimed she understood the standard operating procedure better, that it had to be handled within six hours,” he said. He added that at the time, Dr. Icha was handling a snakebite patient and was coordinating with a snake venom specialist, Dr. Tri Hamarani, the only one in Indonesia. “This Therens was already raising his voice, shouting,” he stated. Dr. Icha died on Friday at her parents’ home in Baumata, Kupang Regency. The family stated that the deceased had suffered from severe depression.