Two more Garuda staff named suspects in Munir's murder case

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two Garuda Indonesia crew members were named suspects by police investigators on Tuesday in the murder case of prominent human rights activist Munir.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo confirmed that the police had declared Oedi Iriyanto and Yeti Susmiyarti suspects, who were flight attendants working the Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004.

The two of them were in charge of serving meals during the flight.

"They are still being questioned by police investigators, and we need to wait for further details," Aryanto announced.

Munir died on board that same Garuda flight on his way to Amsterdam via Singapore. An autopsy conducted by the Dutch authorities found an excessive amount of arsenic in Munir's body that caused his death, strongly suggesting that he might have been intentionally poisoned during the flight.

Aryanto said that the two flight attendants would be charged with article 55 and 56 linked to article 340 of the Criminal Code on abetting premeditated murder.

The police previously named Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto as the first suspect in the case, increasing the number of suspects to three, all of whom are Garuda staff members.

Garuda Indonesia lawyers Lutfi Hakim and Mohammad Assegaf said that they were surprised that their clients were named suspects since there was "no relation" between them and the case.

"They have been summoned twice before, but only as witnesses and suddenly now they're declared suspects only because they served meals aboard the plane," Assegaf said.

Hakim added that the two, Oedi working in the plane's pantry section and Yeti serving meals to the passengers, were simply going about their normal duties on the flight.

"Oedi and Yeti are sure that nobody came to the pantry except themselves and nobody touched the sealed food supply or the beverage trolley," Hakim claimed.

However, they acknowledged that Pollycarpus was aboard the flight, as a passenger on his way to Singapore, and that he had been seen walking around the business class and premium class sections taking notes.

According to Hakim, Yeti said that she received a request from Pollycarpus to move Munir from economy class to business class, but Yeti told him to talk to the chief steward.

Hakim warned the police and said they should have investigated the matter further before naming the crew members as suspects.

"They were just doing their jobs and suddenly they are named suspects while the mastermind behind the murder is walking free," Hakim complained.

Although Oedi and Yeti have been named suspects, they were not detained. Police investigators will continue their questioning of them on Wednesday. Garuda has not suspended the two.

The police have been under pressure to thoroughly investigate the case particularly amid media speculation that certain officers and ex-officers of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) may have been involved in the case.