Tommy's poster at Soeharto's house

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police have been making diligent efforts to convince the public that they are really serious in hunting former president Soeharto's fugitive son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, including pasting up posters bearing Tommy's photograph in the Cendana area of Menteng, Central Jakarta, where the Soeharto family live.

One of the posters, which were pasted up between Friday night and Saturday morning, was also seen at the Soeharto's residence. It was put on the gate after the police had searched the house and came up, once again, empty handed.

The poster advertises a police reward of Rp 500 million for anyone who can help the police find Tommy, alias Ibrahim, who, according to his most recent photograph, now sports a beard and moustache.

Asked why the police put a poster up at Soeharto's house, Jakarta Police spokesman Anton Bachrul Alam said they could be put anywhere.

Tommy, who was convicted on corruption charges, has been on the run since November last year after then president Abdurrahman Wahid refused to grant him clemency.

He is now a suspect in the murder M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, one of the Supreme Court justices who sentenced him to 18-months imprisonment on appeal against his corruption conviction.(emf)