Pressure mounts for police over Adiguna
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"His license to use a gun with rubber bullets was revoked in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.