Puteh pleas for extension of Aceh emergency status

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In an apparent start of the government's "shock therapy" on graft and terrorism, the government announced on Monday it planned to send people convicted of serious corruption and terror offenses to Nusakambangan prison island.

Minister for Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said, however, only corrupters serving long sentences in Jakarta who had exhausted their appeal options would be moved to the Batu penitentiary on the island.

"I don't want to name them, but obviously those who have received stiff sentences (would go). A priority would be given to those who are serving long prison terms," Hamid said.

The announcement came after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said corruption eradication was a top priority and that he would personally lead the drive.

However, a high-ranking ministry official familiar with the island laughed at the "shock therapy" concept, saying the condition of prisons on Nusakambangan was better and more relaxed than those in Jakarta.

"I once saw inmates sitting under the sun on the seashore watching members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) doing military exercises," he said. The official said he traveled to the island every year.

There are only few graft convicts serving jail terms in Jakarta. Among them are Beddu Amang, a former chairman of State Logistics Agency (Bulog) convicted to three years' jail for graft, and Pande Lubis, a former deputy chief of the now-defunct Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (BPPN), sentenced to six years' jail for his involvement in the Bank Bali scandal.

Most convicted terrorists, including those sentenced to death, are appealing their verdicts and are unlikely to be sent to Nusakambangan any time soon.

Other convicts in high-profile graft cases, including those involved in the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI), fled the country before being brought to justice.

Most of those implicated in the Rp 1.7 trillion (US$185 million) Bank Nasional Indonesia (BNI) scandal, who were sentenced to jail for between eight and 15 years, are also appealing their cases.

The Batu penitentiary is not a maximum security prison, unlike the two other jails on the island -- Karanganyar and Karangtengah.

Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the son of former president Soeharto, is currently serving his 15-year jail term in Batu. Previously, businessman Muhammad "Bob" Hasan also served his time there, but was let out after serving more than half of his sentence.

Asked about what the ministry would do about high-profile graft convicts enjoying more privileges on the restricted Nusakambangan island, Hamid said the ministry would increase security there.