Sri Bintang dismissive of taped evidence
JAKARTA (JP): Former legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas yesterday rejected as useless a tape recording which police say proves that he made insulting remarks about President Soeharto during a lecture the legislator gave at a German University.
The police questioned Bintang over allegations that he called former Indonesian president Sukarno and incumbent President Soeharto dictators.
Investigators played him an audio tape which they said was a recording of remarks he made at Berlin's Humboldt University on April 10, 1995.
"I deny making any of the recorded statements because the voice is so unclear that it is impossible to guess whose it is," he told reporters after the questioning.
The tape was obtained by the police from an Indonesian student in Germany, Ahmad Fachrur Rozy, who says he was present at Humboldt University when Bintang delivered his speech.
Ahmad and two other Indonesian students, Bayu Dirgantara Setiaji and Azhar Rozali, have already been questioned by police regarding the contents of Bintang's remarks.
Bintang said he did not know the three students and that he had first heard their names from the police.
Police investigators have been focusing their questioning on the contents of Bintang's lectures in Germany in March and April, a few days before President Soeharto's state visit to that country.
The investigators say they would like to hear Bintang's response to the allegation that he said in one of the lectures that both Soeharto and Sukarno had violated the Constitution.
"The investigators' tapes are not original," Bintang said.
The former legislator of the United Development Party (PPP) went through his sixth round of interrogation at the National Police Headquarters yesterday regarding his allegedly criminal remarks and his alleged role in a series of protests which occurred in Germany during President Soeharto's visit to that country in April.
He was initially accused of taking part in the anti-government demonstrations.
Bintang was accompanied yesterday by his lawyers Harjono Tjitrosoebono, Soekardjo Adidjojo, Mohammad Assegaf and R. Dwiyanto Prihartono.
The police also heard evidence yesterday from two members of the House of Representatives, Markus Wauran of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction and Muhammad Mansyur of the United Development Party (PPP), who were members of Soeharto's entourage.
Markus said he knew nothing about the demonstrations or Bintang's speeches in Germany.
"We met him just to say hello and take pictures together at the Indonesian stand of the Hanover Fair," Markus told reporters at the national police headquarters.
Today, police will hear accounts of legislators Tengku Gazali Amna of the PPP and Haris Ali Moerfi of the ruling Golkar faction, while the investigation of Bintang has been adjourned until tomorrow.(imn)