The key witness in the Munir murder case is now under police protection. Upon arriving from Holland, he became the subject of a fight between the police and state intelligence.
The two-story house in a housing complex in the Jurangmangu area of Tangerang, Banten, has been unoccupied for almost two weeks. The fence gate is fastened with a padlocked chain. The neighbors do not know where the family of Ongen Latuihamallo, the musician who occupied the house, now lives.
One afternoon two weeks ago, four police picked up Ongen's wife, Etha Pattinasarany, their two daughters and a servant who works at the house. "His dog and car were also taken away," said a neighbor, a middle-aged man who preferred to remain anonymous.
According to a Tempo source in the National Police, the family was evacuated after receiving a number of threatening phone calls. The calls are believed to be connected with Ongen being named as a key witness in the murder of human rights activist Munir two and a half years ago.
National Police Headquarters spokesperson Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto has refused to give out details regarding the security being provided to Ongen's family. He was only prepared to state that police are protecting all of the witnesses in the Munir case. "Protection is also being provided to families of witnesses," he said.
Ongen is believed to have knowledge pertaining to Munir's murder on the morning of September 7, 2004. A number of witnesses saw him sitting at the Coffee Bean cafe in the transit area of Changi International Airport in Singapore, together with Munir and a man who is believed to be Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, a Garuda Airlines pilot who was once a defendant in the case. Several hours later, Munir died aboard Garuda GA-974 during the flight to Amsterdam.
One of the witnesses who saw the three men sitting together at the Coffee Bean was 25-year-old SA. The business-class passenger claims to have seen a tall longhaired man. Moments before re-boarding the flight, a passenger sitting in the seat next to him introduced the man as Ongen (see Tempo April 30, 2007 edition).
Comr. Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, head of the National Police's Criminal Investiga-tion Bureau says that inves-tiga-tors are cur-rently exa-mining all of the activities that took place in Cha-ngi at that time. According to Bambang, this is a part of the investigation process because the results of a forensic test in Seattle, United States concluded that the arsenic poison that killed Munir was ingested while he was in transit at Changi. This differs from the conclusions reached by previous investigators who declared Munir was poisoned during the Jakarta-Singapore leg of the flight.
According to a Tempo source in the police, Ongen was picked up two weeks ago at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Cengkareng, by a team investigating the Munir case headed by Police Commissioner Daniel Tifaona. The composer of spiritual songs had only just arrived from Holland where he frequently appears on stage at the Night Market.
Ongen was picked up by dozens of police from a unit comprising officers from National Police HQ and the Tangerang District Police. After being met at the aircraft's cabin door he was taken away via different route from the other passengers. Ongen was then immediately placed in a car that had stopped in the aircraft parking area.
According to a source, it was when police were taking Ongen to the car that a second car suddenly approached them. The two occupants of the car immediately got out and rushed towards Ongen, and attempted to wrest the uncle of pop singer Glenn Fredly from the hands of the police. "A fight broke out before the Munir team rushed Ongen away in the car," said the source.
The same source said that the two men later ad-mitted to being intelligence officers. "I seems that Ongen's arrival from Holland was also known about by intelligence agents," they added.
No officials from the National Police have been prepared to confirm the incident. Tangerang District Police Deputy Chief Assistant Commissioner Golkar Pangarso, who is reported to have arrived during the incident, refused to offer an explanation. "We were only supporting the team from the National Police HQ," he told Tempo.
Tangerang District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Toni Harmanto also claims not to know about the incident. According to Harmanto, police in his area were only responsible for guarding Ongen's house. "We were monitoring the house, whether or not there had been a request, because it is located in our area of responsibility," he said.
If it is true that intelligence agents were involved in the "action" when Ongen was being picked up, it further strengthens accusations of the involvement of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in Munir's murder. Moreover according to lawyer Heru Santoso, investigators have also asked about the relationship of his client-Garuda CEO Indra Setiawan who is now a suspect in the case-with the intelligence agency.
According to Heru, during Indra's questioning investigators asked whether Indra was acquainted with any BIN officials. As the head of a state-owned enterprise, he explained that Indra often met with officials from BIN. "But that doesn't mean that they were in communication," said Heru.
BIN has been suspected from the start because there was communication between Pollycarpus's phone and a cellphone usually used by Muchdi Purwoprandjono, who at the time was BIN's Deputy Director for Agent Mobilization. There was also communication between Pollycarpus's number and a telephone at Muchdi's office in the days leading up to Munir's death. As it happens Pollycarpus also called Munir's telephone number on September 2 and September 6, 2004.
Muchdi and Pollycarpus have said on a number of occasions that they did not know each other. On the question of his cellphone, Muchdi stated that close friends often used it. "I don't think I was ever in contact with Pollycarpus or his family," said Muchdi when questioned by investigators on May 18, 2005.
In order to uncover the mystery surrounding Munir's death, among other things police are now pinning their hopes on Ongen. A Tempo source said that he is now being hidden at a location along with his family. According to his neighbors, police maintain control of their house on a daily basis.
Uniformed police frequently conduct patrols in front of Ongen's house. Sometimes there are police who ride motorcycles wearing short trousers. "There are also [police] that sleep overnight in the guardhouse until morning," said a neighbor pointing to the guardhouse at the end of the lane.
According to a motorcycle taxi driver who is usually based at the housing com-plex,- Ongen is a good man. Although he comes from Ambon, they consider Ongen's behavior to be even more refined than that of a Javanese. "He often drives his Opel Blazer, Pak Ongen always greets us," said a motorcycle taxi driver.
From the look of the exterior walls of their house, the Ongen family gives the impression of being religious. Two reliefs are on display in the shape of a cross and a picture of Jesus. Hanging on the front door of the house there is also a decoration with the writing: "God bless this house."
[Budi Setyarso, Arif A.K., Irmawati.]