Wives of bomb blast suspects protest arrests
JAKARTA (JP): Wives of four suspects in the April 15 foiled robbery attempt and bomb blast in West Jakarta visited the National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday to protest the arrest of their spouses.
Accompanied by Bogor activists who called themselves members of a fact-finding team, the women said police arrested their husbands, identified as Ichwan, Edi Rohadi, Jahid and Naiman, without any warrants.
"We are also not allowed to visit our husbands at the city police detention," Melly Rahayu, the wife of Ichwan, said.
Melly said her husband and the other men were arrested one day after the blast in their respective houses in Warung Menteng village, Cijeruk district, Bogor.
Besides the improper arrest, the women said their houses had been searched by police, without warrants.
After visiting the commission on Jl. Latuharhari in Central Jakarta, the women went to Jakarta Police Headquarters where they were allowed to meet with their husbands for half an hour.
The four detainees are among 21 people arrested by police for their alleged involvement in the crimes. The detainees claim to be members of Angkatan Mujahidin Islam Nusantara (AMIN) group. Seven of the detained suspects lived in Jakarta.
Coordinator of the fact-finding team Nanang Subana Dirja, said the women requested permission to return home as soon as possible, as they heard news their houses in Warung Menteng village were about to be attacked.
Acun, a resident from the neighboring village Caringin, rushed to the area on Wednesday when he heard from an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver that houses owned by the "AMIN activists" were to be burned.
"I heard the news at about 9 a.m. I saw people (from other villages) had already gathered here," 39-year-old Acun said.
At the village, many people were seen gathering along the nearby railway tracks which separate the houses of the five suspects from other residents.
Locals admitted they had heard the same news, however, no one was able to pinpoint the source.
There are only six houses in the area, located on upper ground and separated by the Bogor-Sukabumi railway line.
On the hill, there was a newly built small mosque, resembling an altar with cement walls, on which Arabic words were written: Allahu Akbar (God is Great).
Only a few of the locals were aware of the location of the mosque, as the only access to the area was by foot along the railway line -- at least 1.5 kilometers from the Maseng Railway Station.
"Before police arrested people from this village, I often saw many young men going to the hill on Saturday and returning early on Sunday," one of the locals said, adding they were believed to practice Pencak silat martial art in a vacant plot near the mosque.
A member of Bogor's chapter of the National Mandate Party (PAN), M. Sani, suspected a certain group intended to spread rumors to create unrest in the area.
The group was possibly also the one that used AMIN as a scapegoat to shake up tranquility in the area, he said.
"Why did they choose this village? It's a peaceful village. I know those who live here. They are kind and sincere people."
Sani, who acknowledged approaching the villagers for campaign purposes, said he knew residents in the area personally and strongly believed that police had mistakenly arrested the men. (emf/jun)