Jakarta – The Fact Finding Team (TPF) in the case of the death of rights activist Munir believes that the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) is being uncooperative in solving the case. In conducting their duties, BIN has behaved in such way as to make it difficult for the team that was formed by a presidential decree.
This was revealed when the TPF, led by the chief representative Asmara Nababan, met with the People’s Representative Assembly’s (DPR) Munir Team at the parliamentary building on Thursday May 19. During the meeting which was chaired by the Munir Team’s deputy-chairperson, Slamet Effendy Yusuf, funding problems were also raised as government’s budget for the TPF has yet to be given to the team who’s duties will end on June 23.
In their relationship with BIN, TPF member Rachland Nashiddik gave the example of the when they wanted to see documents on the transfer of command of BIN’s former chief secretary Nurhadi Djazuli. The document should have contained a report on what had been done while he was in office. The fact was that the TPF encountered difficulties seeing the document.
Then when the TPF was able to see a copy, it seemed very brief and was even suspected to have been recently written. Moreover the treatment accorded to TPF members who went to BIN’s offices was totally inappropriate. “As a government institution, we were treated inappropriately by BIN”, he said without detailing what was inappropriate or excessive.
Nashiddik said that the DPR needs to push for what had already been agreed to by BIN officials and the TPF be actually carried out by their staff. Learning from this case, TPF team member Munarman proposed that the DPR plan the formation of a special commission to restructure intelligence bodies, including the question of taking responsibility for intelligence operations.
No complaints made
BIN chief Syamsir Siregar, who was met following a meeting with the DPR’s Special Team for Poso on Thursday afternoon, declined to respond to the TPF’s findings that there had been contact between by the prime suspect in the case, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, and a BIN official. Siregar even encouraged the journalists to get hold of this information.
With regard to the complaints from the TPF that BIN is hindering their work, Siregar rejected the idea. Basically, the complaint was not raised either during a meeting with the TPF nor when he met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “Who’s saying it, who? We met the other day, there wasn’t any problem”, said Siregar.
Threatening phone calls
There has also been a case of intimidation that is suspected to be linked with the case. This time though a phone call to the family of a staff member of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of violence (Kontras) secretariat, Haryati, on Thursday afternoon.
Haryati related how at 10.25am he received a phone call from a man who claimed to be a close friend of I Ketut Murtika, the director of human rights in the special crimes division of the Attorney General’s offices. According to Haryati, the man who did not give his name asked for the home telephone numbers of Kontras’ coordinator Usman Hamid, Munir’s wife Suciwati and Haryati’s own home number. “I didn’t give [him] Usman and Mbak Suci’s telephone numbers. [I] don’t know why but instead [I] gave my own home telephone number”, said Haryati.
After collecting his thoughts, Haryati immediately phoned his parent’s house because he was worried. And the same unidentified man had in fact telephoned Haryati’s parents at 10.30am, several minutes after phoning Haryati. The caller said he had already had 200 million rupiah to ruin and blind Haryati’s eyes. Angry, Hariyati’s parents hung up the phone. (DWA/dik)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
