INDONESIA TO EXECUTE 57 DRUG OFFENDERS

 By Andi Abdussalam
      Jakarta, June 26 (ANTARA) -  Indonesian authorities plan to speed up the execution of at least 57 drug offenders, some of whom have been on death row since 1994.
      The plan to speed up the execution of the convicts, including two Nigerians who are likely to be executed Thursday night, came up at a State Palace function to observe  International Day against Drug Abuse and  Trafficking on Thursday.
      According to Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, there are 57 drug offenders on death row whose executions would be sped up by his office.
      Rumors had it earlier in the day that the two Nigerians on death row for dug offenses, Samuel Iwuchukwu Okoye and Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa, at Nusa Kambangan prison, in Central Java, were executed Wednesday night.
      But Chief of Banyumas Police in Central Java, Sr Com. Boy Salamuddin said the two Nigerian convicts had not yet been executed.
      "They have not yet been executed," he said through a cellular phone.
      Their lawyer, Bambang Sri Wahono said later in the afternoon that Anthony and Okoye had contacted their wives at 1 pm informing that they had just signed minutes on the implementation of their execution.
      Two ambulances carrying two coffins entered Wijayapura port of Cilacap district at 4.30 am Thursday. The coffins will be ferried to the Nusakambangan Island where the prison for two convicted is located.
     "We were called at 24 hours last night to deliver two coffins to Nusakambangan at 4.30 am," the ambulance crew said.
      The two ambulances were transported to  Nusakambangan at about 5 am by the 'Pengayonam II' ferry belonging to the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights Affairs.
      On Tuesday, prosecutors said that the execution of the two Nigerian nationals would be done in secret. "The date of the execution is not to be made public to prevent public controversy,"  Monang Pardede, assistant deputy to the General Crimes chief of the Central Java higher prosecutor's office, said on Tuesday.
     Director of Narcotics Affairs at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, Brig. Gen. Indardi Thanos, was quoted by 'Media Indonesia' daily on Tuesday last week as saying that Okoye and Anthony would be executed in late July 2008 at the latest.
     He said  the National Police were ready for the execution to be carried out on  International Anti-Narcotics Day on June 26.
     Okoye was sentenced to death by the district court of Tangerang, Banten, on July 5, 2001 for smuggling in 3.8 kg of heroin to Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.  In the meantime, Anthony was given the death penalty by the same court on August 13, 2001 for circulating  3.2 kg of heroin in Indonesia.
      The death row convicts were sent to the Nusakambangan prison on Nusakambangan Island, a prison for notorious criminals in Cilacap district, Central Java.
      Minister for Legal and Human Rights Affairs Andi Mattalatta issued a recommendation for the execution of the two Nigerians and sent it to the public prosecutor's office on June 13, 2008.
      Pardede said in order to prevent undue public reactions, the executions would be publicized after they had been carried out. "We are afraid we will  face difficulties if they are announced beforehand," he said.
      He said  the two convicts had made legal efforts such as  filing requests for a judicial review or for a pardon but they were all rejected.
      On Monday last week, Deputy Attorney General for General Crimes (Jampidum) Abdul Hakim Ritonga said the two Nigerian drug death row convicts would be executed this week.
      But he did not mention  any date for the executions because preparations still had to be made and the security condition of the place of execution had to be guaranteed.
      According to Brig. Gen. Thanos, the execution of drug death row convicts will not stop with the Anthony and Okoye cases.
      "We hope the implementation of the execution will not stop until that of Anthony's and Okoye's cases. We also hope that the executions will teach foreign drug traffickers a lesson and discourage them from bringing drugs into  Indonesia,"   he said.
      Records made available at the public prosecutor's office show that since 1994 there had been 72 drug criminals on death row for narcotics offenses in Indonesia.  Three of them had been executed, one has died natural death, five have had their sentence reduced to life, and one has received imprisonment reduction to 15 years.
     The three death row convicts who had previously been executed were Ayodya Prasad Chaubay, Saelow Prasad and Namsong. They all faced a firing squad in Medan, North Sumatra, several years ago.
     The large number of death row convicts having their execution delayed is due to the fact that many of them are filing a judicial review or asking for pardon. The submission of a judicial review, or a request for pardon is not restricted by a deadline.
      Some have filed requests for a judicial review such as Hunphery Ejke alias Doctor, Mgs Zaenal Abidin and Rahen Agbaje and have waited for years, but they have yet to receive answers.
       National Anti-Narcotics Body (BBN) data show that the criminal drug  cases in the country increased from 17,355 in 2006 to 22,630 cases. The number of offenders was also up from 31,635 in 2006 to 36,169.
     At present, the number of drug addicts in Indonesia is estimated at eight million people. Some 15,000 of them die annually. A survey showed that illegal narcotics dealers operate in all regions in Indonesia.(T.A014/A/HAJM/16:40/a014)
(T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 26-06-2008 17:59:39

RI UPBEAT OVER EXPORTS AMID GLOBAL ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN

By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, 24 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is still optimistic that its export performance will  remain encouraging in 2008 although the on-going economic crisis is slowing down global economic growth.
     "Non-oil export growth in 2008 is expected to reach the targeted 12.5 percent. Exports would continue to grow because the prospects of a number of processed industrial products, particularly in the automotive sector, in overseas markets are improving," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said on Monday.
     The minister's optimism came up amid economic difficulties due to fuel oil price hikes that fueled inflation, reduced people's purchasing power and slowed down the production of export goods.
     The World Bank last April revised downward its Indonesian economic growth rate forecast for this year to 6 percent from 6.4 percent previously due to a possible decline in the country's exports as a result of a global economic slowdown.
     According to the World Bank, Indonesia's exports which grew 8 percent last year will slow 7 percent this year while domestic demand, particularly investment and consumption will remain strong, the World Bank said in a report.
     Earlier this month, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported that Indonesia's trade balance totaling US$530 million in April was unfavorable as exports only reached a value of US$10.97 billion while imports totaled US$11.50 billion.
     BPS chief Rusman Heriawan said exports in April declined by 7.78 percent compared to March but represented an increase of 23.09 percent compared to the figure in April 2007.
     Non-oil/non-gas exports declined by 7.08 percent to US$8.49 billion while oil and gas exports dropped by 10.11 percent to US$2.48 billion.
     However, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu expressed optimism that Indonesia's non-oil/non-gas exports will grow at the target rate of 12 percent - 14.5 percent this year despite an unfavorable trade balance in April.
     "That (the deficit) is only for one month. We have to see the trend which shows further growth," the minister said on the sidelines of an Indonesia Cultural Week (PPBI).
     Yet, she admitted that the fuel price hike last May had raised production costs, reduced the items of traded goods and caused a decline in the volume of Indonesia's exports.
     "Actually, the fuel oil price hike should have boosted the value of the country's exports because sales prices have risen but in real terms, the increase in the oil prices has lowered the volume of exports," the minister told the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission VI which deals with trade affairs here on Monday.
     The trade minister said that Indonesia's exports last year reached US$118 billion while this year it is projected at US$135.5 billion.
     The government has previously set an export growth for 2008 at 14.5 percent and economic growth at 6.8 percent. It later revised them  downward to 11.2 percent and 6.4 percent respectively.
     When the price of world crude reached over US$125 per barrel, the government once again revised its economic growth target from 6.4 percent to 6 percent but maintained its export target at 11.4 percent.
     "We did not revise the export growth target. The growth target of domestic consumption and of investment was, however, cut by about 0.5 percent," Pangestu said.
     She predicted that though export growth would slow down, export performance would be relatively stable in 2008.
     The percentage of Indonesia's exports against the country's gross domestic product (GDP) was predicted to remain the same as in the period a year earlier.
     "The value of our exports compared with the GDP is relatively stable at about 29.3 percent. The level of this percentage does not change much compared with that during the fuel oil price hike in 2005 and the increase in the oil price in the world market in 2007," the minister said.
     According to BPS Chief Heriawan, crude palm oil (CPO) was the biggest contributor to the decline in non-oil/non-gas exports in April which only reached a total value of US$1.133 billion.
     Pangestu said the decline in CPO exports was due to a fall in the commodity's price in international markets during April from US$1,249 to US$1,174 per metric ton. An additional factor was the imposition of a 20-percent tax on CPO exports.
     Meanwhile, imports in April were reported to reach US$11.50 billion or an increase of some 14.86 percent compared to March.
     Import of consumer and capital goods rose by 7.51 percent and 14.34 percent respectively while import of raw materials and supplementary goods dropped slightly from 78.54 percent to 78.15 percent.
     BPS data showed overall imports in the January-April period reached a total value of US$40.95 billion which comprised US$9.73 billion for oil and gas products (up 23.76 percent) and US$31.22 billion for non-oil/non-gas products (up 76.24 percent).
     Indonesia's exports grew to a record $100.7 billion in 2006, an increase of 17.5% from 2005. The largest export commodities for 2006 were oil and gas (21.2%), minerals (15.7%), electrical appliances (14.7%), rubber products (6.9%), and textiles (3.4%).

(T.A014/A/HAJM/18:05/a014)(T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 24-06-2008 18:10:48

HIV/AIDS CASES IN RI BELIEVED TO FAR EXCEED OFFICIAL FIGURES

By Andi Abdussalam
     Jakarta, June 23 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is one of the countries where the number of HIV cases is growing fast while the figure for Asia is actually declining.
     According to National AIDS Commission (KPA) Secretary Dr Nafsiah Mboi, up to March 2008, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has been recorded at 17,998. About 10 percent of the patients are HIV carriers while the remaining 90 percent are patients on the verge of developing full-blown AIDS.
     The KPA's figures are on detected carriers and based on medical reports on people who underwent medical examinations. The real number of HIV/AIDS carriers in Indonesia is believed to be far higher.
     The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has continued to increase while it is estimated the disease will infect 400,000 and kill 100,000 people in 2010, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said last week.
     "Without adequate intervention, the virus will by 2015 have infected one million people, killed 350,000 and infected 38,500 children," he said.
     There is even a prediction that HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia have reached 500,000. Sociologist Dr Boyke Dian Nugraha said in Pangkalpinang, Sumatra, last week, that he had data which showed that in 2008 the number of HIV/AIDS had reached 500,000.
     "The 500,000 HIV/AIDS carriers in Indonesia exceed the number of HIV/AIDS patients in other neighboring countries such as Thailand,"  Dr. Boyke Dian Nugraha said over the weekend.
     The fast increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has led the world to plan an international AIDS congress in the country. The Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali is scheduled to host the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) on August 9-13, 2009.
     "The congress will take place under the auspices of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific. About 500 delegates from 50 countries are expected to take part in the congress," chairman of the meeting's organizing committee Prof. Zubairi Djoerban said.
      To be themed: "Empowering the People, Reinforcing Networks," the congress is expected to formulate efforts to eradicate the HIV epidemic with the establishment of a networking cooperation.
     "We hope participants from Asia and the Pacific will share experience, particularly those who are policy makers," Djoerban said.
     Fighting the HIV epidemic is an important item on the agenda of health development in Indonesia, in addition to reducing the maternal mortality rate, combating infectious diseases, and other health problems arising as a consequence of a higher life expectancy and an increase in the number of elderly citizens.
     As part of its efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Indonesian government has launched a national Action Plan to fight the disease in the 2007-2010 period.
     According to Minister Aburizal Bakrie, there are three important elements in the action plan, namely programs to reach groups susceptible to HIV/AIDS infection, especially intravenous drug users (IDUs), sex workers and their clients.
     The second element is preventive programs, namely efforts to prevent HIV infection through injections and high-risk sexual activity.
     The third one is comprehensive preventive programs including promotion of healthy life styles,  counseling, voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of transmission through sexual intercourse, harm reduction programs, care, support and treatment (CST) programs, universal prevention, prevention of mother-to-infant transmission, and safe blood transfusions.
    "These comprehensive programs are top priorities in 19 provinces, including two provinces in Papua needing special handling as 80 percent of their populations are susceptible to HIV infection," he said.
    The minister admitted funding was still a major challenge being faced in efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Indonesia with the government providing only 30 percent of the needed funds.
     In an effort to fight infectious diseases in Indonesia, there has been a global fund program. Germany is the first country to implement the program for Indonesia.
     So far, the Australian government has also expressed interest in joining a health-for-debt swap program called "Debt2Health" with Indonesia, according to the chairman of the Innovative Financing Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TBC and Malaria, Robert Filipp here on Monday.
     Australia's wish to provide funds for the program in Indonesia was expressed by the new Australian government during the last general elections, he said. "Therefore, GF (Global Fund) is conducting negotiations and at the same time reminding the Australian government about its political pledge," he said.
     "So far, the Global Fund has invested almost US$200 million in Indonesia for medical treatment, handling, prevention and improvement of health program systems," Robert Filipp said.
     The Debt2Health program aims to free up domestic resources through debt relief to invest in urgent public health needs in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
(T.A014/A/HAJM/A/E002)(T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 23-06-2008 20:55:43

INDONESIAN POLICE DETAIN FORMER DEPUTY INTELLIGENCE CHIEF

By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, June 21 (ANTARA) - After two suspects are put behind bars for the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the Indonesian National Police Headquarters is now detaining former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief Maj Gen (ret) Muchdi Purwopranjono for alleged involvement in the murder case.
     Police have served a summons on Muchdi to come to the National Police Headquarters for questioning on Friday (June 20) but he met the summons a day earlier at his own volition, National Police Headquarters' public relations division chief Insp Gen Abubakar Nataprawira said.
     "So Muchdi was not arrested but he gave himself up," Nataprawira said, adding that before he showed up at the National Police Headquarters, his lawyer had informed the police his client would come on Thursday night.
     Police summoned Muchdi after his name was mentioned in the court trials of two other people involved in Munir's murder. A Munir case fact-finding team had also recommended he should be questioned.
     In Thursday's investigation, police named him a suspect in the murder case. "Having been declared a suspect, he will be detained as soon as his interrogation is completed tonight," Abubakar Nataprawira said.
     Muchdi signed an arrest warrant served on him by police on Friday but has not yet been put in a cell, his lawyer said.
     "The arrest warrant was signed at around 1 am local time today (Friday) but until this morning, Muchdi was still being interrogated,", Zaenal Maarif, Muchdi's lawyer, said.
     But Insp Gen Abubakar Nataprawira said that having been declared a suspect, he would be detained as soon as his interrogation is completed.
     His lawyers' team is still discussing his arrest. "We, members of Muchdi's lawyers' team, will hold a meeting to discuss this (his arrest)," he said.
     Muchdi was named a suspect only one day after National Police Chief Gen Sutanto and the head of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department Com Gen Hendarso Dahuri indicated police had identified a new suspect in the Munir murder case. But they still declined to reveal the new suspect's name.
      Nataprawira said Muchdi was to be charged based on Article 340 of the Penal Code on premeditated murder and the Code's Article 55 on participation in a criminal offense. The articles carried a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, life imprisonment or death.
     The two persons already tried and convicted by a court for Munir's murder were former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto and former PT Garuda airline company president director Indra Setiawan. Priyanto was sentenced to 20 years and Setiawan to one year in jail.
     Munir died after being poisoned during a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on September 7, 2004.
     In Friday's interrogation, Muchi denied knowing Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto. "He (Muchdi) does not know Pollycarpus and is not involved directly or indirectly in the Munir case," Luthfi Hakim, one of Muchdi's lawyers, said here on Friday during a break in his client's interrogation.
     He said his client knew nothing about the murder and that he had never contacted Pollycarpus. However, he admitted that his client's office phone number was once connected to Pollycarpus' home phone number.
     "It was just a connection between phone numbers, but not between Muchdi and Pollycarpus," Hakim said.
     Muchdi also denied that he had sent a letter to the national flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, asking the assignment of Pollycarpus to be placed in the same flight with Munir. "Muchdi never wrote such a letter, nor asked anyone to write it," he said.
     According to the result of a laboratory analysis, the letter was typed on Muchdi's computer, but he also denied it because he did not have a computer at his office and could not operate a computer.
     Whether or not the legal process would prove his alleged involvement, his arrest shows the commitment of the government and law enforcing agencies to solving the Munir case.
     Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa said the government would pay full attention to efforts of solving the Munir murder case.
     "The president on behalf of the government is paying full attention to the case because it has come under national and international spotlight," Rajasa said.
     President Yudhoyono had asked the law-enforcing agencies to settle the case transparently, openly, and fairly.
     Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he appreciated both the National Police and former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Muchdi Purwopranjono for faithfully following the prescribed legal procedures in connection with the Munir murder case.
    "I highly appreciate the Police and Muchdi," the vice president told newsmen here on Friday.
     Kalla said he would not interfere in the case's handling. "Let the law take its due course. Our main objective is to conduct the legal process well. If we can do it, all people are equal before the law," Kalla said.
     In the meantime, political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Hermawan Sulistio, said he was absolutely sure the National Defense Forces (TNI) had chosen to adopt a professional view on the arrest of Maj Gen (ret) Muchdi Purwopranjono.
     "Everything should be based on the rule of law because all citizens are equal before the law," Hermawan Sulistion said. He said the police obviously always collected strong evidence before  deciding to name a person a suspect in a criminal case.
    "And therefore, I am sure TNI will be professional in permitting Muchdi to undergo a legal process," Hermawan said. ***3***

(T.A014/A/HNG/A/B003).(T.A014/A/A014/B003) 21-06-2008 00:12:17

CONTRACTION IN BANK CREDITS TO AFFECT REAL SECTOR

By Andi Abdussalam
     Jakarta, June 20 (ANTARA) - The high inflation rate which this year is estimated to range between 11.5 percent and 12.5 percent may slow down bank credit provision and affect national economic activities, particularly in the real sector.
     Domestic banks at home might revise their business targets in the second semester of 2008 out of worry about high inflation rates which would offset national economic growth.
     "The slow economic growth and high inflation will prompt domestic banks to reduce the amounts of credits they will extend to  the business sector. They fear that this condition will drive up the rate of non-performing loans (NPLs)," banking industry observer Edwin Sinaga said on Thursday.
     While banks are downsizing their credit provision targets, bank customers are also discouraged to borrow more money as bank  interest rates are also being raised following Bank Indonesia (the central bank=BI)'s decision to increase its benchmark interest rate.
     The real sector which is struggling to absorb the impact of  the recent fuel oil price hike will come under pressure following Bank Indonesia's decision to raise its key rate to 8.5 percent recently.
     "A significant rise in lending rates will put a further strain on the real sector following the 28.7 percent rise in fuel oil prices," Seno Hardiono, a member of the Central Java provincial chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), said.
     The central bank decided at a meeting of its board of governors early this month to raise its benchmark interest rate, locally known as BI Rate, by 25 basis points to 8.5 percent in reaction to the high inflation rate in May due in part to the fuel oil price hike.
     With bank credits being reduced, the production sector which so far is expected to help fuel the engine of national economy will also be slowed down.
     "The real sector has not performed as previously expected," Edwin Sinaga said.
     According to Edwin Sinaga, this condition will eventually reduce the profits of banks because cutting back credit provision targets would also have a proportionate effect on the economy.
     "We are afraid it will create more problems hampering economic growth," Edwin Sinaga said.
     However, he was still convinced that the economic growth target of six percent was still achievable because the government was still receiving foreign assistance funds for infrastructure development which was expected to move the wheels of economic growth.
     After all, the condition was also expected to return to normal next year when inflation was predicted to be drop to 6.5 - 7.5 percent.
     "If everything runs well, the inflation rate in 2009 can be lowered to a range between 6.5 and 7.5 percent, although in 2008 the inflation rate is at a range of 11.5 - 12.5 percent," Hartadi A Sarwono, a BI deputy governor, told a journalist workshop recently.
    
                       People's Business Credit (KUR)

     As a result of tight credits, small businessmen have been complaining about the lack of capital and promotion as well as marketing.
     In connection with the tight credit provision, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked for an increase in the distribution of people's business credits (KUR) to boost national economic growth.
     "We will continue developing the KUR program which is currently worth Rp6 trillion and hopefully it will reach Rp15 trillion. The state has pledged another Rp1.4 trillion," the president said when opening an Indonesian Cultural Production Week early this month.
     The distribution of KUR is very important to help handicraft dealers in improving the KUR program to boost national economic growth and to reduce poverty.
     The president and the House of Representatives have agreed to enhance the KUR program to spur national economic growth and to reduce poverty in this country.
     "We develop and maintain our ancestors' legacy by developing a creative economy capable of improving our national economy," Yudhoyono said.
     With the KUR scheme, a number of banks have promised KUR packages to handicraft businessmen with state-owned bank BRI to provide Rp4.176 trillion to 625,083 customers and Bank Mandiri Rp993.24 billion to 33,110 debtors.
     State-owned BNI promised over Rp911,871 billion in KUR to 7,413 debtors, Bukopin Bank Rp452.623 billion to 2,384 debtors, Bank Syariah Mandiri Rp258,485 billion to 4,400 debtors and BTN bank Rp81.05 billion to 470 debtors.
     Meanwhile, the chairman of the National Committee on Empowerment of Indonesian Micro Finances, BP Kusmoljono, said implementation of a program to extend KURs below Rp5 million through six banks would be intensified through cooperation with the Micro Finance Institution (LKM) to achieve a target of Rp15 trillion by the end of this year.
     He expressed optimism that the target of Rp15 trillion would be achieved as expected by the President. Up to June 9, 2008, the amount of disbursed KUR had reached a total of Rp6.5 trillion.
     The micro credits for small scale businesses were channeled by BRI, BNI, Bank Mandiri, BSM, Bukopin and BTN banks. The credits were underwritten by the government through PT Askrindo and public company Business Development Facility.***2***

(T.A014/A/HAJM/B003/2. 19:10) (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 20-06-2008 19:30:01

JUNIOR ATTORNEYS GENERAL GRILLED OVER BRIBERY SCANDAL

By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, June 17 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Attorney General's Office (AGO) is questioning several of its top officers for alleged links with a bribery case after a record of bugged conversations was released in last week's corruption criminal court session.
     The AGO officials being investigated are Junior Attorney General for Civil and State Administrative Cases Untung Adji Santoso, Junior Attorney General for Intelligence Wisnu Subroto and former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman.
     Lask week's corruption criminal court heard a junior attorney general's bugged conversations with Artalyta Suryani, a businesswoman being tried for allegedly bribing a public prosecutor investigating a BLBI (Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance) case.
     Attorney General Hendarman instructed the Junior Attorney General for Supervision to seek a clarification on the telephone conversation between Suryani and Kemas Yahya Rahman over the weekend.
     "This morning I ordered the Junior Attorney General for Supervision to seek a clarification on the recorded conversation," Supandji said after attending a social function in Magelang.
     To investigate the case, the AGO set up an investigating team of the office of the Junior Attorney General for Supervision.
     On Tuesday, the team began grilling Untung Udji Santoso and would continue to investigate Wisnu Subroto and Kemas Yahya Rahman.
     The three senior AGO officials were investigated on the basis of intercepted telephone conversations Suryani had held with Rahman when he was still the Junior Attorney General for Special Cases.
     The conversations occurred one day after Rahman announced the suspension of an inquiry into a BLBI case involving business tycoon Syamsul Nursalim on whose behalf Suryani was believed to have committed the bribery.
     In the conversation, a record of which was played in a court session on Suryani's case on Wednesday last week, Rahman had also made references to Santoso and Subroto.
     The bribery case came to light last March (March 2, 2008) when the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) agents caught Urip Tri Gunawan red-handed receiving a bribe of US$660,000 from Artalyta Suryani in a house in South Jakarta.
     Gunawan is the former head of a team of 35 prosecutors that had investigated the BLBI debtor's case. Following Urip Tri Gunawaan's arrest for receiving Suryani's bribe, Yahya was removed from his position but not prosecuted.
     The BLBI refers to emergency liquidity credits extended by BI, the central bank, to commercial banks during the financial crisis which began in mid 1997.
     The credits were extended under the government's blanket guarantee program. Of the Rp144.5 trillion of BLBI loans issued since 1997, Rp51.7 trillion had turned bad.
     Junior Attorney General for Supervision MS Raharjo said the AGO had asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) -- whose investigators had bugged Suryani's telephone calls -- for a transcript of the telephone records to support the questioning of the three senior AGO officials.
     The AG0 team would also request the KPK's readiness to provide additional clarifications on the telephone conversation records.
     Meanwhile, the AGO's chief information officer, BD Nainggolan, said the AGO supervision department was interrogating 11 staffers belonging to the civil and state administrative and the special cases departments to verify clues obtained from Suryani's telephone conversations that AGO officials handling the BLBI case had actually tried to arrest her "for appearance's sake" to cover up their own wrongdoing.
     Supandji said he had to wait for the completion of the court trials of businesswoman Artalita Suryani and Public Prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan to know whether more AGO staffers were implicated in the bribery case.
     He said when it was proven in court Suryani's bribe to Gunawan was linked to Syamsul Nursalim's BLBI debt, the AGO would obviously reopen its investigation into the case.
     The government had since tried to solve the BLBI problem but has met with still unsurmounted difficulties to fully recover the state assets. Though some of the bad debt cases have been settled, others remained unresolved. The amounts of the recovered as well as the yet-to-be recovered credits even remained unclear.
     In the meantime, the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said the handling of  BLBI cases should be  entrusted to the KPK instead of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) as the latter had proven incapable of tackling corruption.
    "Although it has set up an anti-corruption team, the AGO has proven incapable of dealing with corruption in the country," ICW researcher Febri Diannsyah said.
    Diansyah referred to what had transpired in on-going court trials of  businesswoman Artalita.
    "As shown by Artalita's  conversations with a number of public prosecutors, conditions in the AGO have made it incapable of handling corruption cases," the ICW activist said.
(T.A014/A/HAJM/A/E002) (T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 17-06-2008 22:34:42

RUDD'S VISIT REINFORCES JAKARTA-CANBERRA COOPERATION

By Andi Abdussalam

         Jakarta, June 13 (ANTARA) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's first state visit to Indonesia this week has re-affirmed and continued Canberra's commitment to bilateral cooperation laid down by his predecessor John Howard.

         "Rudd's visit to Indonesia is part of the new Australian government's policy to continue the cooperation initiated during  John Howard's administration," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said.

         According to Wirajuda, the partnership cooperation between Indonesia and Australia was one of the things both nations should continue. Indonesia and Australia signed a partnership cooperation agreement when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Australia in 2005.

         During his two-day first state visit to Indonesia, Rudd discussed with his Indonesian counterpart President Yudhoyono a wide range of issues such as trade, climate change, tourism and other matters of mutual concern.

         On Friday, Yudhoyono and Rudd, who arrived in Jakarta on Thursday for his first state visit since taking power in November last year,  discussed various issues and witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement on forest management and carbon trading between the two countries.

         Indonesia and Australia agreed to cooperate in coping with the impact of climate change. The cooperation was provided for in a Forest Carbon Partnership agreement signed after a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace on Friday.

        "We discussed cooperation to cope with climate change in concrete ways. We have signed an Australia-Indonesia Forest Carbon Partnership agreement as a model of bilateral cooperation to anticipate climate change in the forestry field," Yudhoyono said.

         In the tourism sector, Indonesia hoped more Australian tourists will come to Indonesia as security conditions in the country have become more conducive.

         "In terms of cooperation in the tourism sector, the number of Australian tourists coming to Indonesia increased by 35 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year. I hope this can be maintained,"  President Yudhoyono told a press conference after his meeting with Kevin Rudd.

          Indonesia's tourist resort island of Bali was rocked by terrorist bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005 which killed many people, including Australians.

          Since then, the governments of Australia and Indonesia have agreed not to bow to terrorists, and to increase bilateral cooperation to ensure such incidents will never happen again.

         "I am saying that conditions in Indonesia are back to normal. A lot of Australian tourists now come to Bali and I hope their number will increase," Yudhoyono said.

          In the trade field, Indonesia and Australia are formulating a free trade agreement (FTA) which is expected to be finalized in 2009.

          According to Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia hopes that bilateral negotiations on the FTA will be completed in 2009 if talks on FTA at the ASEAN level (including Australia and New Zealand) are concluded this year.

         "We will wait for the completion of talks on ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand (AANZ) free trade this year. After the AANZ negotiations are finalized, Indonesia and Australia will hold talks on their bilateral FTA deal which are expected to be finished in 2009," the minister said.

         Negotiations on FTA AANZ began in Vietnam early in June but both sides had not yet agreed on any modality for the regional FTA.

         Australia and New Zealand want that the market for 96 percent of the tariff posts of commodities should be opened but ASEAN countries want smaller tariff post percentage.

         So far, various FTA negotiations have been discussing only 90 percent of the tariff posts. The remaining were lists of sensitive products whose markets were not open.

         Australia and New Zealand have been asking that animal products --their principal commodities such as meat and milk-- be freed from import duties.

         Indonesian, in the meantime, asked Australia and New Zealand to open their markets for textile and textile products.

          According to Rudd, bilateral cooperation in the economic field should be intensified and negotiations on regional trade among Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN would be continued.

          On the occasion, the Indonesian president supported Australia's idea to enhance dialogs on culture.

         "We also agreed to continue regional and bilateral cooperation to overcome current global problems such as the food and energy crises, how to reduce the burden especially for developing countries," Yudhoyono said.    
(T.A014/A/HAJM/20:20/a014)(T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 13-06-2008 23:21:17

MANY NOT SATISFIED ABOUT GOVT`S DECREE ON AHMADIYAH

By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, June 10 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government finally issued a joint ministerial decree on Monday banning followers of Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) from carrying out religious activities, but many Muslims organizations in the country were not satisfied  as it did not provide for JAI's dissolution.
     Many Muslim groups have been exerting pressure on the government to disband the JAI organization which they say is a heretical Islamic sect or had deviated from the true Islamic tenets.
     "The government's decree is still a temporary decision. It should be revised to disband the JAI and ban its misleading teachings," Yohan Andi of the Campus Propagation Institutes Forum (FSLDK) said in Malang, East Java.
      On Tuesday,  tens of Islamic propagation forums grouped in the FSLDK called on the government to revise the decree which was jointly signed and issued by the ministers of religion and home affairs as well as the attorney general on Monday.
      Chairman of the Advisory Council of West Sumatra's Ulemas Council (MUI), Masoed Abidin  said the JAI was not a religious organization but a form of imperialist movement aiming at destroying Islam.
      Therefore, he said, although the government has issued a decree on the banning of the JAI activities, Islamic organizations should intensify their propagations in order to reduce the influence of the Ahmadiyah.
     Seeing the fact that Ahmadiyah has deviated from Islam, the issuance of the ministerial decree will never satisfy Muslims. "But as citizens of the Unitary State of Indonesia, we should thank the government for restricting the movement of the JAI," Masoed Abidin said.
     Unsatisfied with the decree, the Bandung Indonesian Ulemas Forum (FUUI) called on the government to issue a firm presidential decision which banned the JAI teaching and dissolved its organization.
     "The decree is subject to multi-interpretations that has the potentials to create conflict. The FUUI demands the government to issue a presidential decision which firmly dissolves the Ahmadiyah and bans its teachings," FUUI chairman Athian M Ali said in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday.
     He said that the FUUI  basically hailed the joint ministerial decree but was of the opinion that it would not resolve the real problem of Ahmadiyah. There was even an impression that the government was trying to protect it.
     Dissatisfaction was also expressed by an executive of the Central Board of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU).
     "The issuance of the government's decree needs to be welcomed, though we are not yet satisfied," PBNU chairman Andi Jamaro Dulung said at Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra on Tuesday.
     He said  the best thing for the government was to disband the JAI organization so that it would not create polemics later on, particularly among Muslims. He said Muslims  were deeply  disturbed by a teaching which claimed a prophet other than Muhammad.
      In the meantime, MUI chairman for Banten province, Wahab Afif said in Serang that the government's decree needed to be equipped with an implementing rule which was more technical in order to stop or disband the activities of  JAI.
      He said  he was not satisfied with decree as it did regulate the technicalities of stopping the JAI activities or its dissolution. "We hope there would be a regulation which is more technical in nature to stop its activities and teachings which are deviating from the basic tenets of Islam," he added.
     However, he said, all should abide by the government's decree and implement it while waiting for the government to gradually issue rulings on its technical aspects.
      In the meantime, the government said that basically the joint decree was not a decree to dissolve the JAI but a ruling which was expected to end JAI's activities. "If the JAI followers ignore the decree, they are liable to legal sanctions based on the laws," Attorney General Hendarman Supandi said.
     Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto understood that what was demanded by the people was the dissolution of the JAI. But the government needed to  issue a warning and instruction first.  "If the decree has been issued but the JAI members ignore it, the law enforcing agencies can take action," the minister said.
     Besides that, he said, the decree also accommodated the need to respect human rights. It provided the people an ample chance to respect human rights.  "The decree is issued to respect the law. If violated, the law must be upheld. That's the main point. So, it should not create polemics," the home affairs minister said.
     On the calls for the issuance of an implementing regulation on the decree, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said there was no need for it.
     "I don't think the decree  needs an implementing regulation because it is very self-explanatory," the minister said.
      The decree would neither need a presidential decision to reinforce it because  Law No.1 /1965 on the Prevention of Religious Abuse and Defilement had specified that such a matter should be settled through a joint ministerial letter.
     "So, I think, what was produced  by the three ministers is already the best for all of the people," Radjasa said.
  (T.A014/A/HAJM/a/s012) (T.A014/A/A014/A/S012) 10-06-2008 22:24:14

GOLKAR TO CHANGE STAND ON SBY-KALLA GOVERNMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, June 9 (ANTARA) - In the run up to the 2009 general elections, legislators of the Golkar Party made a surprise statement last week.
     The Golkar faction (FPG) in the House of Representatives (DPR) said it was considering changing its political stand and orientation towards the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK).
     Chaired by the vice president, the Golkar Party has been the main supporter of the SBY-JK administration. Thus, the statement made by FPG chairman Priyo Budi Santoso last week was like a bolt of lightning in  broad daylight.
     He said  the Golkar Party was considering changing its political stand and direction with regard to its support to the government. In other words, all members of the FPG were free to express whatever opinion on all  matters pertaining to the problems being faced by the nation.
     "The change in  FPG's attitude is effective as of today," FPG chairman  Priyo Budi Santoso said at a press conference at the House of Representatives building on Friday last week.
     The Golkar party which served as the government's  political machine during the New Order era, has so far given its full support to the SBY-Kalla administration. It provides its full support to the government through the parliament.  
     "We have been providing full support for the government with all our energy and strength. But Golkar does not obtain proper appreciation from the government," Priyo said.
     The FPG seemed to be disappointed by certain policies adopted  by the government. Priyo said many government polices had disadvantaged Golkar.
     He mentioned, among other things,  the government's policies with regard to  regional head elections in the provinces of North Maluku and Lampung. In these cases, where there were disputes on election poll results , the policies pursued by the government had disadvantaged Golkar.
     Golkar also felt it was disadvantaged in the appointment of a number of ambassadors.
     "The Maluku case is only the latest of  cases that have harmed Golkar's interest," Priyo said.
     With the change in its stand, the FPG now allowed its members to develop their aspirations, including through the use of their inquiry and interpellation rights towards the SBY-Kalla government.
     The FPG's statement on withdrawing its support for the government immediately drew speculations where some linked it with the 2009 general election, the campaign for which was about to kick off.
     A co-founding member of President Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, Hencky Luntungan, said the FPG's maneuver was not more than a desire to position Golkar Chairman Jusuf Kalla.
     "I think this maneuver is deliberately created to demonstrate that Golkar is outspoken," said  Luntungan who is also chairman of the Trisula Nusantara non-governmental organization.
     He said though it took a critical stand on the government, the Golkar Party was actually willing to position Jusuf Kalla as a running mate for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the coming elections.
     "By doing so, it can build a stronger bargain. So, this is deliberately created," he said.
     But he also said that the Golkar maneuver was a form of cold war as it was reluctant  to 'fight' openly.
     Democrat Party Executive Board Chairman Anas Urbaningrum said that although there was a change in the political stand of Golkar, the SBY-Kalla administration would continue until the end of their  term.
     There was even a chance of the two leaders continuing to pair up in the coming 2009 presidential election, he said. According to him, the Democrat Party understands that each party had its own freedom to choose its own political stand and orientation.
     "Each party has its own freedom to decide and change its political stand. The Golkar Party has its own right to give its faction members the freedom to take a stand on factual matters," Anas added.
      Anas was convinced that Golkar leaders would be wise in taking actions. "As the biggest and most senior political party, the Golkar Party, I believe, will act maturely as well as wisely and will set an example for other political parties on how to behave politically with responsibility," he said.
      Golkar Deputy Chairman Agung Laksono, who is also DPR Speaker, said the Golkar Party's political stand remained unchanged, namely to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's administration until they completed  their term of office in 2009.
    The political stand was the result of the party's national congress held in Bali in 2004. Therefore, any change in the political stand must be endorsed by a decision of the party's highest law making body or national leadership meeting,
       Agung Laksono saw as "reasonable" the stand taken by the party faction in the DPR to withdraw its support for the government. The stand was taken in reaction to the party faction's disappointment at the government.
       "After all, we should preserve our good relations with the government without relinquishing the party faction's critical stand particularly when it is struggling for the people's aspirations," he said.  (T.A014/A/HAJM/A/E002) (T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 09-06-2008 22:35:38

INDONESIAN GOVT STILL SEEMS UNDECIDED OVER AHMADIYAH ISSUE

By Andi Abdussalam

       Jakarta, June 7 (ANTARA) - Though it has been formulating a joint ministerial decree (SKB) on 'Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia' (JAI) for some time, the government seems to be still restraining itself from issuing it soon.

        There was previously optimism that the SKB would be shortly issued as Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa had said the government would issue an SKB on the cessation of JAI activities this month.

        It now seems, however, the SKB's issuance will be postponed. Following a meeting between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with members of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) on the matter, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto told the press the government was still considering latest developments in the country relevant to the Ahmadiyah issue.

        "It's not a matter of being slow, it's because the problem is complicated. Things are developing very fast, and it's also not so easy to issue it immediately," the minister said on Friday.

        The government had been under public pressure to ban the JAI which Muslims in the country considered to be a deviant Islamic sect. Ahmadiyah followers and houses of worship in several regions had already become the target of acts of violence.

        The Public Faiths' Supervision Coordinating Board (Bakor Pakem) has met several times to discuss the JAI issue, and last April it issued a recommendation for the government, which upheld the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI's) admonition in 2005 that Ahmadiyah deviated from the Islamic tenets.

        Based on the Bakor Pakem's recommendation, the government is formulating an SKB in accordance with Law No. 1/PNPS 1965 on the Prevention of Religious Abuse and Defamation.

        Since the issuance of the Bakor Pakem's recommendation, calls on the government to disband the JAI continued to increase, among others by the Islamic Brotherhood Forum (FUI).

        The FUI's move to call the dissolution of JAI is supported by Muslim leaders such as KH Cholil Ridwan, Habib Rizieq Shihab, H Mashadi, H Fadholi el Munir, HM Ismail Yusanto, H Kiri Bareno, KH Muhammad Ali Khattab and Shobri Lubis.

        On Thursday, the MUI in a press conference urged the government to issue the SKB soon because the government's indecisive stance had triggered a horizontal conflict in society.

        "MUI and FUI urge the government to immediately issue the SKB on Ahmadiyah as a wise step in line with the legal framework, in order to calm the people's emotions, especially Muslims," MUI Secretary Anwar Abbas said.

        Last Sunday, members of the Islam Defenders' Front (FPI) which is chaired by Habib Rizieq Shihab, attacked activists of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB), which supports Ahmadiyah, leaving tens of people injured.

        The incident which took place at the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta, prompted MUI to repeat its call on the government to soon issue the SKB which is to be signed by the home affairs minister, the religious affairs minister and the attorney general.

        The MUI and the FUI urged the government to issue the SKB without any further delay arguing that the government's indecision on the matter had already led to horizontal conflict in the community.

        The government is, however, still considering various developments, saying that a joint decree issued in a hurry could prove impracticable.

        Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto, however, promised he would coordinate with the religious affairs minister and the attorney general regarding the joint decree on Ahmadiyah.

        The SKB issuance is postponed after members of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) met with President Susilo Bamgang Yudhoyono to convey objections to a plan to disband Ahmadiyah.

        Wantimpres members gave their opinion on Ahmadiyah after receiving a delegation of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB) which supports Ahmadiyah.

        After the meeting between the President and Wantimpres members, the home affairs minister told the press that the government needed time to make a further study to decide on the SKB.

        In the meantime, National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Governor Muladi said the Ahmadiyah issue should be resolved through dialogs among Muslims and not through political interference such as issuing an SKB.

        "Matters relating to faith cannot be settled through state interference," the Lemhanas chief said. In his opinion, an SKB would not be effective in putting an end to the pros and cons over the existence of the Ahmadiyah organization.

        The problem is that the Ahmadiyah issue concerns faith so that it must be resolved through dialogs among Muslims themselves. The dialogs should focus on finding a meeting point of how to settle the Ahmadiyah problem.

        If ulemas have found contradictions between the teachings of mainstream Islam and those of Ahmadiyah, the Muslim clerics must explain them to Ahamdiyah followers and give the latter the correct understanding of the Islamic faith. And if the Ahmamdiyah people did not accept it, a decision to stop their activities must be made through consensus.

        "So, there is no need for political interference because this is a matter of faith," Muladi said. (T.A014/A/HAJM/B003) 2. 16:30. (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 07-06-2008 16:45:32

PLAN TO PRIVATIZE STEEL COMPANY DRAWS MIXED REACTIONS

By Andi Abdussalam

   Jakarta, June 6 (ANTARA) - The government's plan to privatize state-owned steel company PT Krakatau Steel (KS) has drawn mixed reactions from various quarters.

        While facing pressure to choose between privatizing through a strategic sale or through an initial public offering (IPO), the government is also under fire for planning to sell the company.

        Legislators want KS to be privatized through an IPO. But critics said the company should not be sold, arguing that the government should instead improve the company's management.

        Reactions have come up to the surface in connection with the government's plan to privatize state-owned steel making company this year.

        Legislators from different factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday declared their opposition to the plan if the company was to be privatized through a strategic sale.

        The objecting legislators made their stand known in a joint statement. They included Syarief Hasan (faction chairman of Democrat Party), Zulkifli of Prosperous Social Justice (PKS), Alvin Lie of the National Mandate Party faction (FPAN) and Ade Daud Nasution of the Reforms Star Party faction (FPBR).

        They said the planned strategic sale of the state company would not benefit the state. It was a fact, they said, that the strategic sale of state-owned satellite company PT Indosat had brought a lot of harm to the state.

        The strategic sale system was different from the initial public offering (IPO) system which was applied to state-owned telecommunication company PT Telkom and Bank BRI where the state had enjoyed a lot of benefits.

        The Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle faction (FPDI) even questioned the government's plan to sell PT Krakatau Steel.

        Privatization should be intended to increase the company's assets, broaden people's ownership in the company, and encourage it to become a corporate leader in its business field, Hasto Kristyanto of the FPDIP said.

        "The best way of privatizing KS is through an IPO which can guarantee transparency and is in conformity with the privatization policy," he said.

        However, some analysts opined that the current negative sentiment in the market would be unfavorable for KS to list its shares at the Indonesian Stock Exchange.

        State Enterprises Minister Sofyan Djalil said state-owned KS' privatization will have to be done though an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which his ministry had scheduled to take place in September 2008.

        "We have decided to privatize Krakatau Steel through an IPO but the decision is still subject to approval by the House of Representatives (DPR)," Djalil told the press Wednesday.

        He said his ministry would "challenge" the House and the KS management to agree to carry out the IPO as soon as possible.

        Djalil's statements come amid a controversy on whether the state's sole steel-making company should be privatized through an IPO or a strategic sale.

        Concerns that the government would sell the company through the strategic sale system was based on the fact that some multinational companies have interested in it.

        Some world-class steel companies such as Arcelor Mittal, BlueScope, Tata Steel, Pohong Steel, and Essar Steel were reported to be keenly interested in acquiring a stake in KS through a strategic purchase.

        Former chief economic minister dr Rizal Ramli said state-owned steel company PT Krakatau Steel should not be sold to foreigners, suggesting that the government improve its management.

        "I think Krakatau Steel should not be sold. Should it be sold I agree if only 5-10 percent of its shares are sold," he said during a discussion on state-owned companies privatization at the parliament building on Wednesday.

        Admittedly the company's production had not increased in the last several years, consuming inefficient energy and making no change in its technological development. So were its subsidiaries.

        "But on paper, this BUMN is profitable. What has to be done with this company is that increasing its capital so that it would reach a production of 2.3 to 3 million tons of steel per year," Ramli said.

        KS President Director Fazwar Bujang said the company was ready to float 20 percent of its shares to the public if the government agreed to the IPO.

        Last year, the company posted a net profit of around Rp370 billion. In the first quarter of 2008 alone, the figure already reached Rp400 billion.

        The company currently produces 2.5 million tons of steel per annum. Nearly 20 percent of its output is exported and the rest sold at home.

        According to Rizal Ramli, the government still had a chance to improve the management of Krakatau Steel and had bright prospects. Therefore, he questioned the plan of the government to sell the company to foreign parties.

        "The plan needs to be questionrd. Is it based on a wish to improve its performance or on other motives linked with the coming general elections," Rizal Ramli added.

        (T.A014/A/HAJM/17:45/a014) (T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 06-06-2008 18:08:29

INDONESIAN POLICE FINALLY ARREST ISLAMIC MILITANT MEMBERS

 By Andi Abdussalam

     Jakarta, June 4 (ANTARA) - About 800 Indonesian policemen raided the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) headquarters in Central Jakarta on Wednesday morning and arrested 58 of the group's members for attacking activists of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB) at the National Monument Square (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Sunday.
     The arrest was made after FPI ignored an ultimatum by the Jakarta Police Chief, Insp. Gen. Adang Firman that 10 of FPI members who had been named suspects in the Monas attack should surrender to the police by midnight on Tuesday.
     The FPI members last Sunday afternoon attacked National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Belief activists who were holding a peaceful rally at the National Monument leaving more than 70 people injured.
     The FPI, whose members were involved in the incident, was only one of several elements holding rallies under the "Komite Laskar Islam" (Islamic Legion Committee) chaired by Munarman.
     The FPI chief, Habib Rizieq Shihab was reported not among those arrested but he voluntarily accompanied the arrested members to the National  Police Headquarters.
     However, LKI commander Munarwan, who had led the attack on a peaceful rally of Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Belief activists at the Monas Square, was still at large.
     But police have named him a suspect along  with 20 others and called on him to surrender to the authorities.
     "We are calling on Munarman who is now wanted by police to immediately give himself up," chief spokesman of the National Police Headquarters, Insp. Gen. Abubakar Natprawira, told reporters on Wednesday.
     He said if Munarman felt he was innocent, he should be able to explain it to the police. If he continued to be on the run, it would only make his position more difficult and show that he was really guilty.
     The police spokesman said Munarwan had been included in the list of wanted persons (DPO) issued by the Jakarta Police.
     A number of his colleagues, including Muslim Lawyers Team members and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) spokesman Achmad Michdan claimed they did not know Munarman's whereabouts.
     While the arrested FPI members were being intensively interrogated, Habib Rizieq was kept in another room at the National  Police Headquarters.
     He said he had come to the Police headquarters at his own freewill to make sure that the police would follow the proper procedures in treating the arrested FPI members.
     Ahmad Mihdan, a member of the Islam Legal Defense Team who accompanied the FPI members in the questioning, said the team had prepared some 30 lawyers to assist them.
     Earlier, a legislator of the Nation's Awakening Party (PKB) faction,  Imam Anshori Saleh, had asked the police to act professionally in handling  the FPI members involved in the Monas Square incident and not to be cowed by the group's threats or intimidation.
    "The National Police should not let them get away with it. They must address the FPI attack on the AKKBB activists professionally and properly," Imam Anshori said.
     He made the statement to comment on the police's sluggishness in handling the Monas Square violence because the FPI members were arrested only on Wednesday or three days after the incident.
     Other legislators, however, appreciate police in using persuasive approach during the raid on the FPI headquarters.
     House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I chairman Theo L Sambuaga has commended the police for arresting FPI members involved in the Monas Square incident without meeting resistance from the militant organization.
     "We, the House's Commission I, appreciate the police's ability  in arresting those allegedly involved in the attack on the AKKBB rally to commemorate the anniversary of  Pancasila  at the Monas square on Sunday, without any trouble," Sambuaga said.
     The police's action in arresting FPI members at the front's headquarters deserved appreciation as it did not trigger more violence, Sambuaga said.  
     He also said  FPI chairman Habib Rizieq also deserved an appreciation as he had surrendered to the police along with his  followers and not offered any resistance as earlier feared by many.
     Police Chief General Sutanto said until Wednesday afternoon his men  were still questioning the arrested members of FPI personnel, including the front's leader, Habib Rizieq Shihab.
     In the meantime, Adnan Buyung Nasution, member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) on legal affairs, said police had taken the correct steps in arresting the FPI members.
     "I think the police action is already correct and excellent. They show their wisdom by giving the suspects an ultimatum until 12 midnight to surrender. But because they did failed to show up, the police arrested them," he said.
     The presidential adviser said that the firm action had positive aspects. "The law can be enforced and the authority of the state could be upheld," he added.


(T.A014/A/HNG/a014)

(T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 05-06-2008 00:49:58