An Indonesian police team, accompanied by a human rights activist, is visiting the Netherlands to seek more information about the death of outspoken human rights crusader Munir, after a Dutch autopsy concluded that arsenic poisoning killed him on a flight to Amsterdam.
"Representing the family, I am hoping that I can get access to the complete autopsy report," Usman Hamid, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), was quoted as saying Friday (19/11/04) by Reuters.
"We have some questions in regard to the autopsy. Why did it take so long? Why did the family not get the report immediately from the Dutch authorities?" he added. Hamid said Dutch authorities had told him they could only give more details if requested by the Indonesian government.
Munir died about two hours before his Garuda Indonesia flight GA-974 landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on September 7. The Dutch Forensics Institute earlier this month concluded that Munir was poisoned with arsenic, but Dutch authorities have declined to further investigate his death, saying it is not under their jurisdiction.
The investigation is now in the hands of Indonesian police. Human rights groups fear there could be a cover-up because of the possibility that Munir might have been killed by elements of the military.
Kontras and other rights groups have called for the establishment of a joint investigation team, consisting of police, the National Commission on Human Rights and non-government organizations. The government is yet to respond to the call, while Kontras has already begun its own investigation.
A coalition of Dutch human rights groups on Thursday urged the Dutch government to carefully monitor the Indonesian government's investigation into Munir's death. The groups also called on the Netherlands use its position as chair of the European Union to put pressure on Indonesia to establish an independent investigation team.
Munir's widow Suciwati has so far been denied access to the autopsy report, raising questions over why Indonesian and Dutch authorities are unwilling to release the information.
Garuda Employee Kontras members, suspecting that Munir was poisoned while on the flight to Amsterdam, earlier this week interviewed an unnamed Garuda employee, who had telephoned Munir's house in Bekasi, West Java, three days before his death.
Kontras operational division head Edwin Partogi was quoted by The Jakarta Post daily as saying the employee had identified himself to Suciwati as a friend of Munir and told her he would be taking the same flight to the Netherlands.
He said the employee later introduced himself to Munir and Suciwati when they arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on the night of September 6. Partogi said the man admitted that he spoke to Munir during the first leg of the flight to Singapore's Changi Airport. He also reportedly admitted that he had persuaded Munir to transfer from economy to business class on the flight to Singapore.
Munir apparently ate a meal during the flight to Singapore. When the plane touched down at Changi, the Garuda employee reportedly told Munir he had decided to cancel his trip to Amsterdam. Three hours into the flight to Amsterdam, Munir became violently ill. He received treatment from a doctor on the plane and later died. He was only 38 years old.