The Jakarta Post, 10/6/2002 6:23:15 PM
Eight FPI members declared suspects
JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta Police declared eight of the 13 arrested members
of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) suspects, following recent attacks by the religious
militants on a number of nightspots and billiard centers in the Chinatown area of
Jakarta.
"Based on the results of our investigation, the eight suspects should be charged with
chapter 170, article 1 of the existing criminal code on public order crimes," Central
Jakarta Police Chief Senior Coms Edmon Ilyas said here on Sunday as quoted by
Antara.
The eight were identified as Abdul Kohar, Alawy Usman, M Djafar Sidik, M Wahyono,
R Suhendra, Wahyu Atin, Much Machusi Kaluko and Taher Pele.
Edmon added that after the suspects were identified based on confessions of three
FPI members - Suhendra, Wahyono and Wahyu Atin.
"The three activists confessed to have been engaged in vandalism and violent actions
with the support of evidence and witnesses' information.
In the meantime, Taher Pele will be subject not only to chapter 170, article 1 of
criminal code on public order crime, but also to Law on Emergency No 12, 1952
because he had confessed to have possession of illegal munitions.
Five other FPI raiders, Kayota, M. Ali, M. Safari and Mrs Saidah -- Chaidir's wife -- are
still at large.
Chaidir is wanted for possession of firearms found by the police during a check on an
FPI hideout in Tebet, South Jakarta, after Friday's raids. Chaidir was not there at the
time apparently.
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar warned anyone who wanted to take their own
idea of justice into their own hands could eventually be charged with a crime.
"Anyone who professes to defend the law without being authorized to do so, must be
dealt with accordingly. Let us all obey the law, the existing regulations," he said.
"Those who do not have the authority to take punitive actions should not brazenly take
the law into their own hands by engaging in wanton violence, vandalism, sweeps and
the like. If they do, they themselves will be in trouble with the law," Dai said.
The FPI activists, who claim to defend the religion of Islam via the destruction of dens
of sin owned mostly by people from other religions, smashed windows and ransacked
the Eksotis disco in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, as well as two billard centers in
Mangga Besar, North Jakarta, mostly with bamboo canes.
The self-ordained zealots however, were waylayed in their attempts to do harm to
Hailai entertainment center in Ancol, North Jakarta, because several security people
from the building's management confronted the Muslim defenders and persuaded
them to go elsewhere.
FPI crusaders alleged that the establishments they had attacked were not only
serving alcoholic drinks -- legal in Indonesia -- but also facilitating drug transactions.
Dozens of police officers in trucks, patrol cars and on motorcycles stood by and
watched but did nothing to stop the FPI action.
However, a lawyer for FPI told Radio El Shinta on Sunday morning that he found
several irregularities in the police allegations, including the fact that dozens of police
officers did nothing to prevent the violence.
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