Jakarta – Andi Arief (27), Chairman of the Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy stated his preparedness to relate to the Military Police, where he all this time had been until he finally "stranded" and was declared detainee at the Police HQ last 17 April. He was also willing to tell what he experienced and who "fetched" him, so that he was stated "disappeared" since 28 March 1998. "With the note, if the Military Police asks this," said Munir from the Executive Commission for lost persons and victims of Violence (Kontras) at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute of Jakarta, Friday (25/4).
At that occasion Munir also clarified, that Friday (24/4) evening Andi Arief was transferred from the RI Police HQ to the Capital of Jakarta Police. Saturday yesterday Andi Arief could meet his family at the Property Unit room of the Detective Directorate of the Capital of Jakarta police.
"Andi Arief also knows about the three other "lost" persons, namely Herman Hendrawan, Faisol Riza and Rahardjo Waluyo Djati," said Munir while adding, Andi Arief is eager to be investigated by the military police, because his information can help in looking for the three mentioned persons.
About the transfer to the Capital of Jakarta police, this is according to Munir on request of Arief and Kontras. There are two reasons. First, at the RI Police HQ Andi Arief feels lonely because the place for detainees is empty. Second, his investigation is performed by the Metropole Jakarta Police so that it will be more practical if Andi Arief is transferred to the Metropole Jakarta police.
The RI Police HQ said in a statement that Andi Arief was detained since 29 March 1998. The instruction for his arrest has already been sent to his family. But the letter was never received by his family. On 5 April his family even reported about Andi Arief's "disappearance" to the Legal Aid Institute and the police in Lampung. The Lampung police said not to know anything about Andy Arief.
"The Head of the Indonesian police himself even stated to know nothing about Andi Arief's disappearance," said Munir. He added that it seemed that the police intended to lead the case of Andi Arief's "disappearance" to an administrative error, a faulty procedure in the arrest.
Munir added that Kontras would not question the wrong procedure of the arrest, but the problem of "taking the freedom of a person". Therefore we will not give a prior judgement to the police, because then the problem will be finished with the police statement that the instruction for Arief's arrest was already sent to his family but that they had not received it. That can remove the case of Andi Arief's kidnapping," said Munir. Until this moment, said Munir, the police had not yet clarified to Andi Arief the reason for his arrest. "But we don't see it as a very important factor, what is more important is that Andi Arief's arrest is illegal according to law. According to the criminal code, Andi Arief must first be released. If they indeed want to arest him, it must later legally be done," he said.
Munit is convinced that the police actually knows the whereabouts of Herman, Faisol and Rahardjo. "Because when during the investigation he acted as witness for Agus Priono - suspect of the bomb explosion in Tanah Tinggi - the police did not ask about Agus, but even asked whether Andi Arief knew Herman, Faisol and Rahardjo," he related while adding that till this time Arief was never interrogated as suspect in the bomb explosion case of Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta.
Meanwhile Andi Arief's father, HM Arief Makhya, who was met by the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said that the family fully authorized the handling of their youngest son's case to LBH Lampung and YLBHI Jakarta. Andi's parents will coming Wednesday 29/4 go to the military police.