Suspect Tommy visits Soeharto
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Rich prison inmates here can enjoy not only drug deliveries or conjugal visits, they can also walk out of jail for a night to visit family members, as was proven on Thursday by murder suspect Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, son of former president Soeharto.
Tommy visited his ailing father on Thursday night after securing permission within a day from the Central Jakarta District Court to leave jail. This kind of permission is highly unlikely to be secured by a poor prisoner, who would want to visit his family members, particularly prisoners who are at flight risk.
Police arrested Tommy last November, ending his year of being the country's most wanted fugitive.
Human rights groups slammed the visit by Tommy, saying it showed that the former first family still enjoyed privileges that would not be given to ordinary Indonesians.
Tommy is being held in jail pending trial on charges of masterminding the murder of Supreme Court Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, a judge who sent Tommy to jail over a corrupt land swap deal.
Tommy appeared to be handcuffed to a prison official as he was escorted under extremely tight security into his father's upmarket residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, in a car driven by Soeharto family lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon. Tommy stayed for about two hours and left around Thursday midnight.
According to one of Soeharto's daughters, Siti Hutami "Mamiek" Endang Adiningsih, her father had had blood in his stools since Wednesday and was reportedly suffering from colon problems which were causing internal bleeding.
Soeharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana said on Friday that Tommy's visit not only cheered the 80-year- old Soeharto, who later advised Tommy in Javanese to "stay religious, patient and humble".
Tutut added that Soeharto was not aware of the murder charges Tommy was facing, and that he was only aware of the land swap deal which landed Tommy in jail. Tutut said that family members feared Soeharto's health would deteriorate further if he was told the truth.
People visiting Soeharto included Army Gen. (ret) Wismoyo Arismunandar, academician Arif Rahman and retired Court judge Bismar Siregar.
Soeharto led Indonesia out of chaos in the mid-1960s, but he was swept out of office in 1998 when the country was again in a mess after being savaged by the Asian financial crisis.
The former general has been charged with embezzling some US$571 million of state funds during his rule. Last Friday a judge ruled that he was too ill for his corruption trial to resume.
He has been fitted with a pacemaker and has been treated at a state hospital at least three times for various ailments -- including a stroke and intestinal trouble -- since he resigned.
He has also suffered respiratory and urinary complications and underwent an emergency appendectomy in February last year. In December he was taken to hospital with pneumonia.