President orders probe into hospital incident
President orders probe into hospital incident
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid on Sunday ordered
leaders of the military and police to carry out a thorough
investigation of the Oct. 20 attack at the health facility of
Jakarta Hospital.
Speaking in a dialogue with local people in Bali after a joint
prayer meeting between Moslems, Christians, Buddhists and
Hinduists on Sunday, the newly elected President also wanted
those responsible for last Wednesday's attack to be punished
adequately.
"Find the guilty people. Whoever is found guilty (later) has
to be punished based on the existing laws" said Wahid, who's in
the tourist resort island of Bali for a three-day international
seminar entitled "Indonesia Next".
Jakarta Hospital on Jl. Sudirman was turned into a war zone
last Wednesday midnight when frustrated military officers ran
amok, searching for suspected militant students hiding on the
premises.
The armed security personnel broke into the hospital's four-
story administration building, broke the windows and doors and
fired several gas canisters into the basement.
A number of people were injured and dragged away, while four
rooms used as the kitchen, administration, central sterilization
for surgical equipment and a laundry were heavily damaged during
the attack, which has sparked anger from many people and
institutions.
Nothing has been heard from the military, while the Jakarta
Police through its chief, Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, has
repeatedly apologized for the incident.
On Sunday, Noegroho told reporters that he would also take
full responsibility for the incident and would pay for all
damages caused.
The hospital has announced that damages in the incident caused
a total loss of at least Rp 3 billion.
"Repair work has already started at the hospital. I hope all
of this will end soon," Noegroho said after addressing some 500
police officers in a ceremony marking the withdrawal of security
troops deployed in the capital's streets following the recent
completion of the general session of the People's Consultative
Assembly.
When asked to comment on the strong demands by several
political figures and institutions for his resignation over the
attack by the security personnel, Noegroho, who was in charge of
city security personnel during the Assembly's session, simply
replied: "Let people say what they want to say.
I have always tried to do my job to the best of my abilities.
I will say nothing more." (ylt)