Private Budi sues Wiwid

Private Budi sues Wiwid

JAKARTA (JP): Private Budi Leksono, a member of the
Presidential Guard, lodged a complaint at the Central Jakarta
Police station on Monday against Wiwid Pratiwo for defamation.

"Wiwid has spread lies with groundless statements. I'll pursue
truth through the existing laws," Budi said.

Budi, who is on suspension from his unit for desertion,
admitted that he filed the complaint on his own initiative.

"Nobody forced or influenced me to do this," he said.

Budi, wearing civilian clothes, met with the head of the
Central Jakarta Police detective unit, Maj. Budiyono Sandi, for
half an hour.

On Nov. 21, Wiwid, 21, told the National Commission on Human
Rights that Budi forced him under the threat of violence to
become an informer and to spy on student demonstrators during the
recent Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR).

In a face-to-face meeting at the Military Police headquarters
last Friday, Budi strongly denied all of Wiwid's allegations,
saying that he had no capability or reason to recruit students
for military purposes.

"I never did such things. How can a poor, second private like
myself recruit a student," Budi asserted.

"My relationship with Wiwid is like that of a brother. Wiwid's
parents regarded me as a member of the family," he told reporters
on Monday.

According to Wiwid, Budi also sent him to recruit civilian
guards to police the streets during the Special Session of the
MPR.

Wiwid, formerly a Trisakti University student, was apprehended
by students at Atma Jaya University on Nov. 15 after they became
suspicious of his activities.

He also claimed that on Nov. 13, Budi warned him several hours
in advance that a "shooting spree" would take place near the
Semanggi cloverleaf.

However, Budi is confident that he will win the case if it
goes to trial, because, he asserts, he is telling the truth.
(emf)