Relatives, friends may be hiding Metromini fugitive

JP/3/Ramses/0

Relatives, friends may be hiding Metromini fugitive

JAKARTA (JP): Ramses Silitonga, the driver of the Metromini minibus which careened into River Sunter with more than 40 passengers last month, might have been hidden by his relatives or friends to elude capture, according to police.

"The interviews of his relatives and acquaintances as to his whereabouts continues. So far, none have given any indication that they know where (Silitonga) is," Lt. Col. Heru Susanto, chief of the North Jakarta police precinct was quoted by Antara as saying, Saturday.

Heru said police investigators were still in the field trying to track down the fugitive.

"We believe he is still hiding himself here (in Jakarta) with assistance from relatives and, perhaps, fellow drivers," said Heru.

Ramses Silitonga, nicknamed Honas (a Batak word meaning "pineapple"), was said to have jumped off the Metromini minibus that he was driving just before it plunged into River Sunter.

A total of 33 passengers drowned in the 5-meter deep, muddy and polluted river. A dozen others suffered serious injuries.

The accident, which occurred on March. 6 in North Jakarta, was noted as the worst traffic accident for several years. The incident has incited public wrath, and many have urged the municipality to stage a large-scale safety campaign to reform the current traffic situation.

In the wake of the incident, police staged a manhunt of Ramses but currently they are empty handed and without any leads.

He reportedly received medical treatment for a broken arm at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital some hours after the accident but later left the hospital stealthily. His whereabouts remained a mystery to police ever since.

Denouncing the allegation that police were too slow in taking up the search, Heru said Saturday police had unleased seven teams of police man-hunters, including one group from the city police headquarters. He added that this is a much larger manhunt than is normally conducted by the city police.

"We are very serious about wrapping up the case," Heru insisted.

An anonymous businessman recently promised via Kompas newspaper to reward Rp 25 million (US$11,731) to anyone who succeeded in capturing the fugitive. (jsk)