Pubdate: Mon, 25 Oct 1999
Source: Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
Copyright: The Jakarta Post
Contact:  P.O. Box 85 Palmerah Jakarta 11001
Fax: (62) (21) 5492685
Website: http://www.thejakartapost.com

WHEREABOUTS OF DRUG CASE QUESTIONED

JAKARTA (JP): A senior Jakarta Police detective questioned the whereabouts 
of a three-month old drug case allegedly concerning an offense committed by 
a member of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) which is currently being 
handled by the city Military Police.

Second Lt. Agus Isrok (Kopassus personnel) was apprehended on Aug. 8 for 
reportedly consuming and possessing drugs.

The complete dossier on Agus, along with a packet of shabu-shabu (crystal 
methamphetamine) found in Agus's trousers when he was caught, was handed 
over to the military police on Aug. 12. That's nearly three months ago," 
the officer, who requested anonymity, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"What have the military police done to date about it? I doubt if the 
dossier and the case will even reach the court," he said pessimistically.

According to the officer, such a case should be brought forward to a 
military tribunal as soon as possible.

Military Police commander Col. Mungkono Mursidi could not be reached to 
comment on the matter on Sunday.

According to his adjutant, his boss could not be disturbed as he was 
receiving a guest at Military Police headquarters in Manggarai, South Jakarta.

When tried a second time, Mungkono's mobile phone had even been switched off.

Agus, a son of the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo, had been widely 
reported as being apprehended by West Jakarta Police detectives during a 
drug raid at a hotel.

He and an accomplice were reportedly caught in possession of heroin, 
shabu-shabu and over 6,000 ecstasy pills.

Agus gave a different name at the time of his arrest but when police 
discovered his real identity during questioning later, he was immediately 
escorted to his father's house apparently upon the order of the Jakarta 
Police chief. Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman.

The press caught wind of the arrest when the initial police report and 
information regarding the handover to Agus's father was leaked.

It took at least nearly a month before National Police headquarters 
confirmed the arrest of Agus, 24, and his friend at a West Jakarta hotel.

A senior police officer who had confirmed the report, said that "the boy 
should not have been escorted to his father's home in the first place."

He should have been handed over immediately to the Military Police," said 
the officer, who also asked not to be named.

"Elsewhere in the world, if police catch a soldier with drugs, the case 
would be handled by the police. It is only in Indonesia, that we have the 
Military Police handling such cases," he said with a cynical laugh.

The penalty for drug trafficking in a civilian court is a maximum 15 years 
in jail or a fine of up to Rp 200 million (US$27,000), although only a few 
judges in the country have had the courage to give the maximum penalty.

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Hasnan Habib, former ambassador to the United States, 
demanded for a thorough and open investigation of the case.

"The military must dare to take responsibility. It must explain to the 
people what the case was all about," he told reporters at the time.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar has repeatedly 
called on the courts to award the maximum penalty for drug traffickers, 
noting the alarming increase of drug use among the country's youth.

"Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Japan sentence drug traffickers and 
dealers to death. In Indonesia, drug dealers get out of jail within 
months," Togar said. (ylt) 
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