President may extend Munir probe team's term
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The President is mulling both extending the term of the fact- finding team tasked with helping police probe the murder of human rights campaigner Munir and rearranging its members.
"As its (June 23) deadline is looming and the team is yet to complete its work, then we may extend its term. We are also considering reshuffling the team in a bid to boost members' performance," Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi said on Monday.
He, however, added that the reshuffle would only take place if the government-sanctioned team urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to do so.
Sudi's remark was made in response to hurdles being faced by the team in questioning several high-ranking officials of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), including its former chief Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono, and in obtaining access to documents related to Munir's murder last Sept.7.
The team has thrice summoned Hendropriyono, as well as former BIN deputy chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Muchdi PR and BIN agent Col. Bambang Irawan for clarification, but they all defied their summonses.
Apparently frustrated by the uncooperativeness of BIN officers, the team said on Monday it would go ahead with preparing a report that would point the finger at alleged suspects in the murder case, despite its failure to quiz Hendropriyono and his fellow agents.
"We have tried hard to summon BIN members, but they refused to make clarifications. However, their refusal won't affect us in making recommendations to the National Police as to who was responsible for the murder," team secretary-general Usman Hamid said.
"Learning from documents, information and communication records (involving BIN officers), we have come to the conclusion that the murder of Munir was a conspiracy,
"What we (the team) have is all the facts gathered from the field, while the police are responsible for collecting evidence," he said.
Also on Monday, the team was to have questioned Bambang Irawan at its office on Jl. Latuharhary, Central Jakarta, but the BIN agent did not show up.
Bambang reportedly claimed he missed a flight to Jakarta on Monday morning from an undisclosed region, where he was allegedly on a business assignment.
The team has evidence to suggest that Bambang, a retired Army medical staff officer, was aboard the same flight as Munir when the activist was found dead due to arsenic poisoning during his trip from Jakarta to Amsterdam.
Bambang allegedly made a stop-over in Singapore, and a witness has said that "he is the unidentified person among the 15 passengers who sat in business class" along with Munir.
A suspect in the murder case, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, once admitted to police investigators that he first met Bambang during a training program sponsored by the Indonesian Target Shooting Association (Perbakin).
Pollycarpus, who claimed to be co-pilot of the Garuda flight from Jakarta to Singapore on Sept. 7, is now in police detention. The other two suspects, Oedi Irianto and Yeti Susmiyarti, both Garuda cabin crew, have not been detained yet.
Pollycarpus has been accused of being an accomplice to premeditated murder and document forgery and could face a maximum penalty of 20 years if proven guilty, according to National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko.
"Prosecutors have declared that Pollycarpus' case file is complete," Soenarko said, adding that the suspect's trial could begin in the near future.