SBY vows to bring Munir's murderers to court of justice
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government-sanctioned team assigned to help the police in investigating the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir handed over the report of their six-months of work to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday.
Susilo told the team that he was committed to bring the perpetrators of the murder to justice.
The President said he would hold a meeting on Monday with National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bakhtiar, Indonesia Military Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh, Head of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Syamsir Siregar, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin to discuss ways to follow up on the team's report.
"The report will be analyzed to seek alternative steps to follow it up," Cabinet Minister Sudi Silalahi told the press after the closed-door meeting at the Merdeka Palace.
The meeting was attended by all members of the team, including team head Brig. Gen. Marsudhi Hanafi, deputy Asmara Nababan and members Usman Hamid, Rachland Nashidik, Hendardi, Kamala Candra Kirana and Domo Sihite.
The President, however, did not set a deadline for the police to wrap up the investigation into the murder. Sudi said that Susilo is not used to setting deadlines, but he expects it to finish "very soon".
Marsudhi, whose team's mandate expired on Thursday, said that the team would not disclose the report to the public. The report consists of conclusions and recommendations to follow up the investigation.
The team was set up late last year following the murder of Munir on board a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in September. According to the autopsy report, Munir died from arsenic poisoning. The team had previously said that there was no need for another extension of their mandate, saying that the results of their work was sufficient for police to wrap up the case.
Sudi said that Susilo fully appreciated the fact that the team did not find any indication of any involvement by the Indonesian Military. However, he refused to answer as to whether there was any involvement of retired members of the military in the murder of Munir, who had been a strong critic of human rights abuses by the military in the past.
Sudi asserted that the President would let the case be settled by law.
Usman said that the team had recommended that the President put pressure on the Police and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) to cooperate in the investigation process.
"We do not doubt the President, but it remains a question whether government institutions (under the President) support (his) efforts," he said.
Meanwhile, former BIN chief A.M. Hendropriyono met with the Press Council on Friday to complain about reports in several news publications alleging his involvement in the killing of Munir. However, he said he was not considering legal action.
He said he did not expect the Press Council to take any further action, but just to listen to his complaints.
Hendropriyono, who was accompanied by his brother and two children, met with deputy chairman of the council R.H. Siregar and members Leo Batubara, Amir Effendi Siregar, Hinca Panjaitan and Lukas Luwarso.
With regard to the Munir case, Hendropriyono said that media coverage had been unfair. In fact, he said, the press had passed judgment on him in a practice commonly known as "trial by the press." (004)