Police urged to keep investigating Yorris

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) urged police yesterday to continue their investigation into Yorris Raweyai, an Assembly member, who was apprehended last week for his alleged involvement in gambling.

Deputy chairman of Golkar Abdul Gafur said the ruling political organization would not hesitate to punish Yorris if he was proven guilty.

"Gambling is a violation of Golkar's moral principle of flawlessness. If he (Yorris) is found guilty he will face administrative sanctions," Gafur, who is also deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and the MPR, said.

But another MPR deputy speaker, Syarwan Hamid, said Golkar should handle the investigation internally.

Syarwan expressed concern over the allegations, saying it was not ethical for an Assembly member to hang around a gambling den for whatever purposes.

"It's not morally acceptable even for ordinary people to seek amusement in such a place."

Gafur urged the public to remember the principle of presumption of innocence and he said that an internal Golkar investigation was underway.

"He might be just shooting the breeze or having fun over there. If a man drops by a red-light district, can we conclude that he has had sex with a prostitute?

"It's all relative to people's interpretation," Gafur said. "It has turned out that Yorris was released and has yet to be questioned by police."

Yorris, one of the 588 Assembly members representing Golkar, was apprehended late Thursday and among almost one hundred alleged gamblers detained during Jakarta Military Command raids on three entertainment centers in West and North Jakarta.

The command's spokesman, Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi, said that one of the three raided venues was the Kiss Me entertainment center on Jl. Gajah Mada.

"We caught 12 gamblers red-handed at Kiss Me, including the well-known leader of a youth organization," he said, referring to Yorris, who is chairman of the Golkar-affiliated Pemuda Pancasila youth organization.

Nachrowi said a number of coins and gambling paraphernalia were seized as evidence.

Those arrested during the raid were dropped off at Jakarta Police Headquarters early Friday for further investigation, he said.

Police reportedly released Yorris because it was believed they should have first obtained a permit from the President before questioning the Assembly member.

However, city police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang, strongly denied the report yesterday, saying that his office did not release Yorris because of his MPR status.

"According to the chief of city police detectives, Col. Gories Mere, Yorris was immediately released because there was not enough hard evidence to detain him."

He refused to disclose what evidence police had regarding Yorris' alleged involvement in gambling.

"There were another eight people caught at Kiss Me who were released because of a lack of hard evidence about their involvement in gambling."

He rejected reports which said Yorris had been summoned to City Police headquarters Monday.

"We never summoned Yorris. He promised that he would come on Monday to explain his presence at the raided venue. But, as you all know, he did not show up."

Aritonang said his office was still investigating.

"We're still trying to get more information and evidence which may be used to nail the released gamblers."

Gafur said legal procedures must be followed in the same way as they were when Yorris was arrested for alleged gambling a few years ago.

He was arrested in July 1994 by police during a raid on an illegal gambling den on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta. Yorris remained in the police detention center for about one week.

Yorris was elected as a member of the Assembly in October last year.

"The court cleared him of any criminal charges. Had he been found guilty he would not have been elected an Assembly member," Gafur said. (amd/cst)