Sri Bintang dismissive of taped evidence
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)