The Jakarta Post, June 22, 2005
Hendro 'disappoints' President
Rendi A. Witular and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed disappointment on Monday over the
refusal of A.M. Hendropriyono, the former chief of the National Intelligence Agency
(BIN), to be questioned by a government sanctioned fact-finding team assigned to
help the police in the investigation of the murder of top human rights campaigner
Munir.
But the President did not say whether there would be tougher measures taken against
his senior in the military.
The team's coordinator Brig. Gen. (Police) Marsudhi Hanafi said the recent refusal of
Hendropriyono to be questioned had not only disappointed the team but also the
President, since the team was formed to help the police solve the high-profile case.
"President Susilo has expressed disappointment over the refusal of Hendropriyono to
be questioned by us because this team is an extension of the President's authority,"
said Marsudhi after meeting Susilo at the State Palace.
Meanwhile, Hendropriyono said he found it hard to believe that the President was
disappointed with him.
"I mean, he was once my subordinate. Even if (the President) said he was
disappointed, I'm sure the fact-finding team must have twisted the facts and made
misleading reports about me," he said on Monday during a meeting with a team of
legislators assigned to monitor the investigation of the Munir case.
He also defended his decision to ignore the summons given by the fact-finding team,
saying the summons was not a polite way to treat someone in his position and the
team had acted arrogantly.
The team wanted to question Hendropriyono, a retired army general, to seek
clarification over the alleged role of BIN in the murder case, which took place last year
when he was still in charge of the intelligence agency.
Susilo set up the fact-finding team on Dec. 23 to help the police solve the case, which
has also drawn international attention. Munir died while aboard a Garuda flight from
Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7 last year. An autopsy by the Dutch authorities
discovered excessive levels of arsenic in his body, indicating that he had been
poisoned.
Marsudhi said that while Susilo had not yet decided whether to extend the team's
mandate, the team had suggested that the government dissolve it because it had
managed to gather sufficient facts that could be followed up by the National Police.
"We have suggested that our task not be extended. The case should be followed up
by the police, and the government should form a special body to supervise this task to
ensure they are serious about pursuing it," he said.
During the meeting, Marsudhi said, the President said he was pleased with the work
carried out by the team since it had managed to gather crucial information to solve the
case, in spite of the fact that it had limited authority.
The team asserted that Pollycarpus, a Garuda pilot, who was off duty during the flight
and had offered his business class seat to Munir during the first leg of the trip (when it
is believed he was poisoned), is a BIN agent. It also revealed intelligence documents
last week, describing a plan that outlined four optional methods to kill Munir, who was
a strong critic of human rights violations committed by the military.
Elsewhere, Hendropriyono told lawmakers that he was not involved Munir's murder.
He also said he suspected political maneuvering behind the fact-finding team's move
to summon him for questioning over the murder case.
He said that the team had not produced any significant results during its six-month
tenure, aside from a character assassination of people like himself.
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