Suspect admits fetuses dumped in septic tank

Suspect admits fetuses dumped in septic tank

JAKARTA (JP): The owner of an alleged abortion clinic,
Herlina, has admitted dumping fetuses of up to four months
gestation in the clinic's septic tank, a police officer said
yesterday.

The officer, who did not want to be named, said the 45-year-
old nurse claimed that older fetuses were usually buried at
several locations, including the grounds of her Fajar Pengharapan
Clinic on Jl. Tanah Tinggi IV in Central Jakarta.

He said Herlina also conceded that her fees for the procedure
were at least twice as cheap as those set by her colleagues in
Central Jakarta.

"She asked for about Rp 250,000 (US$71) to abort a pregnancy
with a gestation of two to three months, Rp 350,000 for four
months and Rp 500,000 for five months. She charged higher fees
for fetuses in the final trimester."

Another suspect, Kampret, who was allegedly hired by Herlina
to dump the infants, told police interrogators that about 10
babies were aborted every day at Herlina's clinic during the past
two years, the source said.

Kampret, who was paid Rp 10,000 per task, also worked for
nearby Amalia Clinic, which is allegedly owned by Kurniasih,
another suspect, he said.

The two clinics have dumped hundreds of aborted babies, the
officer quoted Kampret as saying.

Herlina allegedly told interrogators that she ran the business
in cooperation with six other clinics in North and Central
Jakarta, especially in the Cikini area.

As of yesterday, 14 people, including two doctors, have been
detained by the city police for their alleged role in abortions
and the dumping of fetuses and babies.

Police are still searching for other suspects who have been
identified following the discovery of 11 fetuses and babies in
Warakas, North Jakarta, late last month.

Three of the dumped bodies were allegedly from Amalia Clinic,
while the remaining came from Herlina's.

The latest suspect in the case was identified as Ester, an
assistant at both Herlina's and the Amalia clinic. She was
apprehended Monday evening.

One of the suspects is a lieutenant colonel who also works as
a doctor.

During interrogation, he allegedly admitted aborting about 10
babies per day at the two clinics.

Following the detention of the suspects, most of whom turned
themselves in to police, forensic experts from National Police
Headquarters and Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital have amassed
a pile of "tiny" bones and skulls unearthed at Herlina's clinic
and a school for disabled children in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

According to Cipto's forensic doctor Budi Sampurna, the bones
belong to dozens of babies.

The precise number has not been determined because "counting
is continuing", he said.

Budi said that most of the fetuses were less than seven months
gestation and they may have been buried in recent weeks rather
than years or months ago.

He called on the city police to stop searching for more bones
because it was "a waste of time and energy".

"Police don't have to continue. (The evidence) is enough
already.

"If police require accurate evidence, they could seize the
clinics' admission books and other related documents that could
provide further details about the real number of victims."

Cipto's forensic team has taken DNA from some of the bodies,
hoping that it could help establish maternity and ensure the
mothers are prosecuted, he said.

In a related development yesterday, chairman of the Jakarta
branch of Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), Agus Purwadianto,
said the association's ethics honorary board had issued a
statement about the implicated doctors.

"It's clear enough to us now that those doctors were merely
aborting fetuses to earn money or for related business reasons.

"Those doctors will face accusations on three different
levels, namely criminal charges, ethical violations and from the
health department for the misuse of their licenses."

A city councilor urged the Jakarta Health Office to be more
selective in handing out licenses to clinics and midwives in a
bid to reduce the number of abortion practices.

The secretary of Commission D for welfare affairs, Agus
Waluyo, said the health office should ensure applicants are
skilled enough and would not misuse their training.

Agus said that control had been lax in the past.

"The office is so passive that it only receives reports and
never checks the reports on the spot.

"Actually, it's easy to monitor malpractice if the office is
actively controlling the certification of clinics and midwives,"
he said. (cst/04/ind)