Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Two former senior intelligence officers alleged to be connected with the death of rights activist Munir Said Thalib have expressed their support for the investigation into the activist's murder, but only if the investigation heeds to professional and justice norms.
Former chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) A.M. Hendropriyono and former deputy to the BIN chief Muchdi P.R. agreed that the police investigation had to proceed until all those involved in the case were brought to justice.
"The police must go on with their investigation into the case to avoid any war of opinion and unprecedented suspicion. They must carry out the inquiry professionally to prevent them from going beyond the truth," Hendropriyono said after attending the 55th anniversary celebration of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) here Monday.
Hendropriyono was the head of BIN when Munir was killed on Sept. 7, 2004. Based on the results of a forensic examination, Munir died of arsenic poisoning, believed to have been administered on a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam through Singapore's Changi Airport.
It was the second investigation carried out by the police after the Supreme Court acquitted Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto of assassination charges. The police have recently declared former Garuda president Iwan Setyawan and secretary to the airline's chief pilot Rohainil Aini as suspects and have handed over new evidence to the Attorney General's Office for further investigation and prosecution.
A fact-finding team established by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has recommended further investigation into several former BIN officers, such as Muchdi and Bambang Irawan, over their telephone conversations with Pollycarpus before Munir flew to the Netherlands.
Hendropriyono said he was not involved in the murder and that the police should speed up their investigation to show the public who the mastermind was. He said it was unfortunate that the public still believed him responsible despite the police investigation.
Asked whether he was ready for questioning, Hendropriyono said: "Citizens should comply with the law and all are equal before the law."
Meanwhile, Muchdi said that the police investigation into BIN's alleged involvement in the murder was over and the police should now concentrate on their latest findings. "The investigation is over and the killing should no longer be connected to me," he said, while adding that he was also prepared to be questioned if the police wanted to do so.
Muchdi, also a former chief of Kopassus, underwent police questioning in 2005, but no evidence has been found to hold him as a suspect.
A special rapporteur to the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNHCHR) submitted a report to a UNHCHR meeting late last month, urging President Yudhoyono to publicize the results of the fact-finding team's report.
The report could be a hurdle for Indonesia's renomination for membership in the UN human rights body, which will end this May.