Thais accuse Indonesia of bribing judges
By Budiman Moerdijat
JAKARTA (JP): Allegations of bribery rocked the last day of the taekwondo competition yesterday with the Thais accusing the Indonesians of paying off the judges.
The trouble flared after host competitor Umi Alfiah defeated Thailand's defending champion Usa Sinlapajarn 8-7 in the women's bantamweight division.
Thai coach Pong Kasearn said: "I was totally dissatisfied with the judges, they gave very bad decisions. I believe the Indonesian team officials have been paying them off."
He refused to accept the Indonesian team's penant, returning it to the judges table, and Usa, who broke down in tears after the bout, refused to shake hands with Uni and went straight to the stands.
The general secretary of the Indonesian Taekwondo Association, Zarkasih Hami, denied the charge that his team had orchestrated the result. He said it was common for judges and coaches to have different opinions on the outcome of matches.
"I think the judges made a fair judgement; the losing party usually gets emotional in this kind of situation."
Umi's victory was sweet revenge for her defeat two years ago in the Chiang Mai Games when Usa defeated her in the semifinals on her way to the gold.
It was Indonesia's sixth gold of the competition, exceeding the team's pre-Games target of five.
Umi and Silapajarn both started the match cautiously, keeping a noticeable distance from each other. At the end of the first round the 23-year-old Umi was 3-2 ahead.
In the second round, she added three more points while Usa was only able to add one.
In the final round Usa staged a major recovery, winning it 4- 1. But it was too little too late and Umi was awarded the match.
"I just followed my coach's instructions," Umi said.
The other events passed off peacefully, with Vietnam's Thong Ho Nhat beating Malaysia's Teck Guang Ling in the male bantamweight final; Nga Nguyeni Thi Kim of Vietnam defeating Thailand's Aripongsa Kakanumporn in the women's welterweight class; and the Philippines' Taraya Alvin beating Robert of Indonesia in the male welterweight final.
Indonesia's six golds left it atop the final taekwondo medal tally. The Philippines came second with 4 gold medals, followed by Vietnam (3), Thailand (2) and Malaysia (1).
The chairman of the Indonesian Taekwando Association, Maj. Gen. Suharto , who is also the Marines Corps commander, said he was satisfied with the Indonesian team's
"They have been demonstrating their best form and this year is better than the four gold medals in Chiang Mai," he said, adding that the athletes would now focus on world championships next month in Hongkong.