Pressure mounts for police over Adiguna

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two protests were staged in front of Jakarta Police Headquarters on Wednesday to demand that police quickly resolve the murder of bar tender Yohanes Berchmans Haerudy alias Rudy at the Hotel Hilton on Jan. 1.

The protests comprised Bung Karno University students and hotel workers respectively. "We want the police to be objective and transparent in handling the case," said Gregorius Bruno, spokesman of the 500 or so students.

A daughter of former president Sukarno, Rahmawati Soekarnoputri, who is also chairwoman of the Bung Karno Foundation, accompanied the students.

Police have named businessman Adiguna Sutowo, one of the owners of the Hilton Hotel, as the sole suspect in the shooting of Rudy, a student of Bung Karno University.

Adiguna was detained by police the day after the murder.

Police investigators appear to be dragging their feet, despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instruction that the investigation proceed transparently and speedily.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani told the students on Wednesday that the Jakarta Police would handle the case with professionalism.

Pressure has also come from Rudy's lawyer M. Ardy Mbalembout, who threatened to mobilize thousands of people to police headquarters should investigators fail to meet the public's sense of justice.

Later in the day, hotel workers belonging to the Independent Federation of Workers staged a protest in front of Jakarta Police Headquarters.

"We demanded that the Jakarta Police chief resolve the case quickly as it could affect the hotel and cafe industry," Wardoyo -- who claimed that his federation had over 21,000 members -- told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile, police released on Wednesday a statement contradictory to an earlier police statement as to whether or not Adiguna had a gun license.

Jakarta Police general crimes division chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said Adiguna had no license to use a gun with live bullets.

"Previously, he had a license to use a gun with rubber bullets, not live bullets, but that license expired last year," Mathius said.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono and National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paiman announced last Friday that Adiguna had no license to use a gun.

"His license to use a gun with rubber bullets was revoked in October last year when he was arrested for a similar incident in Kemang, South Jakarta," Suyitno said.

Firman, however, insisted on a separate occasion that Adiguna had a license to use a gun.

"According to our records, he still has a valid license," he said.

Meanwhile, Suyitno announced that laboratory tests on blood on the towel and tissues found in Adiguna's did not match Rudy's blood type.

"The blood type on the towel is AB while Rudy's was O. Probably the blood is Adiguna's. However, this doesn't affect the investigation as many witnesses have said that they saw Adiguna pull the trigger," said Suyitno.