Student testifies against friends

Student testifies against friends

JAKARTA (JP): A member of the student regiment from the
National University told Judge Moegihardjo of South Jakarta
District Court that he saw one of the six defendants being tried
throwing bottles filled with gasoline into the regiment's
headquarters.

"I saw the defendant Yahdi Djamhur and his two friends, Tori
and Rivai throw some stones and bottles, which were filled with
gasoline, into the regiment's headquarters," said Irvan Alfarija,
who has been a regiment member since 1989.

The six defendants are Yahdi Djamhur, Reza Pahlevi, Darmawan
Bahtiar, Rakai Aria Dipa Erlangga, Benedictus Satrio Widyanarto
and Budi Murdiyanto.

They are among 12 students -- all members of the Association
of Nature Lovers (Himpala) accused of intentionally assaulting
four members of the university's student regiment and of burning
the regiment's headquarters on Oct. 18.

The alleged attack came after regiment members reportedly
destroyed the association's secretariat on Oct. 14, last year.

The judge then asked Irvan if he was sure that the bottles
were filled with gasoline and the witness said he was sure.

Irvan said he went to campus at about 11 a.m. and at about 12
p.m. he heard an explosion at the regiment's headquarters.

"I went to the office of the deputy rector for academic
affairs to report the fire. Then I saw many Himpala members
banging on the office door as they tried to force their way into
the room," he said.

Irvan then told the judge that the Himpala members forced
Bambang Permadi, the university's Deputy Rector for Academic
Affairs, out of the room while the rest, including Yahdi and
Darmawan started beating him with wooden sticks.

Irvan's testimony prompted Makdir Ismail, a lawyer from the
Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation representing the six defendants, to
ask the judge to arrest the witness for giving false evidence.

Lawyer Makdir quoted Bambang Permadi, from an earlier trial
session, as saying that the defendant, Syech Al Djufri, came to
him, asking him to calm down more than one hundred students who
had gathered in the university compound protesting the existence
of the regiment.

"The deputy rector never said that he was forced out of his
own room and I request the Honorable Judge to arrest the witness
for violating his oath to tell the court the truth," Makdir said.

However, the judge said that the decision to arrest or not
arrest was his authority. "I will discuss your plea with the
members of board of judges first," he said.

After Judge Moegihardjo finished examining Irvan he asked the
six defendants their opinion of Irvan's testimony and they all
told the judge that they objected to it.

"Your Honor, his testimony is nothing but slander. We strongly
object to it," Yahdi said.

During the session, the public spectators heckled Irvan when
he told the judge that he was the regiment's security chief,
authorized to take care of and anticipate all kinds of scenes
which could hamper the campus's security.

However, when the defendants' lawyer asked him if he knew that
some regiment members had destroyed the secretariat of Himpala
several days before the Oct. 18 incident, he said that he knew
nothing about the incident.

Again, his statement made the public heckle him. One man made
sound of a chicken.

Judge Moegihardjo then adjourned the session for 30 minutes
for the afternoon prayer. The proceedings continued with
examination Sandy Refdinal Ronazi, an alumnus of the Social and
Political Science School of the National University who is also a
regiment member.

Before the session re-opened, defendant Reza Pahlevi told the
judge that the security officers had prohibited the defendants
from leaving their cells to perform their afternoon prayers, so
they were forced to perform them in the dirty cell.

"You will have a decent place to pray during the next
sessions," Moegihardjo said.

During the session, Sandy said that he came to campus at 11
a.m., to pay the graduation ceremony fee.

"I was hanging out behind the security guard post with my
friends Irsal Karmani and Wasis when Himpala members attacked
us," he said. (mas)