Suspect admits payoff for Kadera attack

JAKARTA (JP): A suspect has reportedly confessed to having received Rp 27 million (US$2,700) in return for orchestrating the recent attack on striking workers of car upholstery producer PT Kadera AR Indonesia (KAI).

Outgoing Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Harry Montolalu said on Thursday that one of the six suspects in the attack, which left a worker dead, had admitted to police detectives that he received Rp 27 million from another suspect, currently at large, to orchestrate the attack.

"The suspect who made the confession is Sugiono. He told us that the money was given to him by a man, whose initials are K.O., to use force to break up the striking workers," Harry told reporters on Thursday.

The attack took place on Feb. 29 at the company's plant in the Pulogadung industrial estate in East Jakarta, and claimed the life of Kimun Effendi.

Harry said that Sugiono was the only one of the six suspects who had been detained, as the police had collected enough evidence against him.

"We cannot detain the other five suspects as we lack evidence," Harry said.

He identified the five suspects only as Ismail, Husen, Haribertus, Madrowi and Arif.

Kimun died from shrapnel wounds resulting from the explosion of a homemade bomb during the attack, which was perpetrated by hundreds of men, some of whom were armed with sharp weapons.

East Jakarta Police detectives have found a link between an Army officer and a Serang councillor -- reportedly the parties behind the attack -- and the deputy general manager of PT Kadera, Amrin Gobel.

Sources said the link had been traced through several calls made by Amrin on his mobile phone.

They added that the Army officer was the same "K.O." who allegedly paid Sugiono Rp 27 million to arrange the attack.

"The police will soon request an official permit from the West Java administration in order to question the Serang councillor. Once we get the permit, we'll waste no time in questioning him," East Jakarta Police chief of detectives Comr. Agus Irianto said.

Amrin was questioned by East Jakarta Police detectives last week.

Agus had earlier said that the police believed that the attackers were hoodlums hired by a member of PT Kadera's management. (ylt)