Regent faces probe over murder case

Regent faces probe over murder case

JAKARTA (JP): The home affairs ministry promised yesterday to
look into reports that the Bantul regent was involved in the
August murder of Yogyakarta journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafrudin.

Ministry inspector general Soedarjat Nataatmadja said the
ministry would conduct its own investigation into the murder of
the Bernas daily journalist if police implicate the regent, Col.
Sri Roso Sudarmo.

Police in Yogyakarta said last week they have finished
questioning the only suspect, Dwi Sumaji, and would submit the
dossiers to the prosecutors' office "soon".

"If the police implicate the regent, we will conduct our own
investigation into the case," Soedarjat said.

Syafrudin, better known as Udin, was attacked at his home on
Aug. 13. He died without regaining consciousness after three days
in intensive care in Bethesda Hospital. He is survived by a wife
and two children.

His death drew concern from fellow journalists, who demanded a
thorough investigation into the murder.

The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), which
established its own fact-finding team, concluded that Udin was
murdered because of his reporting on land disputes and the
mismanagement of poverty alleviation program funds in the Bantul
regency, Yogyakarta.

The association's findings were similar to the analysis of
some observers, who believe the articles on land disputes caused
the attack on him.

The police have insisted all along that the murder had nothing
to do with the journalist's job. They arrested Sumaji because
they believe he murdered Udin in a jealous rage.

Meanwhile, the National Commission on Human Rights, which also
established a fact-finding team to investigate the murder case,
announced in its findings: that it doubted police had caught
Udin's murderer, and that it had found human rights violations
occurred during the arrest and the investigation of Sumaji. (imn)