Retired officers sue Da'i, Megaawati

Retired officers sue Da'i, Megaawati

JAKARTA (JP): A group of retired senior police officers have
filed lawsuits with the State Administrative Court against
President Megawati Soekarnoputri and National Police chief Gen.
Da'i Bachtiar over what they say was their forced early
retirement.

The lawsuits were filed in response to a decree from Da'i
proposing their retirement, and a presidential decree accepting
the proposal.

Included among the officers filing lawsuits against either
Da'i, Megawati or both, are former Jakarta Police chief Comr.
Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, former Jambi Police chief Brig. Gen.
Toto Soenarjo Soewali and a number of senior commissioners and
adjutant senior commissioners.

The lawyer for the officers, Adnan Buyung Nasution, said his
clients decided on the lawsuits on May 30, after the Supreme
Court suggested in a decree that the officers take legal action
to resolve the dispute.

Da'i issued a decree last December proposing the officers'
retirement. At the time of this decree, the old law on the police
was still in effect, and according to this law the retirement age
for officers was 55.

But the President issued a decree accepting Dai's proposal in
May, after a new law had been endorsed by the House of
Representatives. --JP