Rakyat Merdeka daily faces another libel suit

Rakyat Merdeka daily faces another libel suit

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police investigators grilled on Tuesday the executive director of
national daily Rakyat Merdeka, Teguh Santosa, as a suspect in a
libel case filed by National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief A.M.
Hendropriyono over an article published in February 2003.

During the five-hour interrogation, Teguh's lawyer Aliamsah
Harahap said police asked his client 22 questions.

He said the investigation by the Jakarta Police should be
dropped, because the case had passed its validity period.

"Article 74 of the Criminal Code stipulates that a libel case
is valid within six months after the written remarks appear,"
Harahap said. "He (Hendropriyono) was three days late."

The BIN chief filed the case on Aug. 5, 2003 in response to
the daily's Feb. 2 article.

The article, titled "Rumor circulating from Presidential
Palace and Jl. Teuku Umar, Mega to dismiss Indonesian Military
(TNI) chief and National Police chief", said that in a Cabinet
meeting on Jan. 20, Hendropriyono disclosed the names of four
individuals allegedly involved in protests against the hike of
public service rates early that year, which were said to have
been designed to topple the government.

At that time, other media also reported that BIN had named
former TNI chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto; National Mandate Party (PAN)
lawmaker and former finance minister Fuad Bawazier; former
cooperatives minister and chairman of the Association of
Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) Adi Sasono; and chairman
of the Bung Karno Nationalist Party (PNBK) Eros Djarot.

"The article is based on common knowledge ... Hendropriyono
was the one who disclosed the names," Teguh said before his
interrogation.

Teguh had ignored previous two police summons, saying he was
busy and could not appear at police headquarters.

"I'm ready for the trial, because it's not the first time for
me," he said.

The daily, which is known for its sensationalistic headlines,
has faced at least four accusations of libel. On two occasions,
the newspaper was taken to court and lost.

Rakyat Merdeka chief editor Karim Paputungan was sentenced to
five months in jail in September for insulting House of
Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung, while executive editor
Supratman was given a six-month sentence in October for defaming
President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Both sentences were suspended.

Two other cases, filed by former minister of trade and
industry Rahardi Ramelan and incumbent trade minister Rini
Soewandi, are awaiting trial.