Yudhoyono Orders Investigation into Tempo Attack, Activist Beating Cases

Jakarta Globe, July 08, 2010, Camelia Pasandaran

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gestures as he addresses policemen during a ceremony to celebrate the 64th police anniversary in Jakarta on Tuesday. The president has ordered investigations into the attempted arson of Tempo magazine's editorial office and the savage beating of a prominent antigraft activist. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday demanded police find out who was behind the Molotov cocktail attack on the editorial offices of Tempo magazine and the brutal beating of a prominent antigraft activist.

Yudhoyono said he had been following both incidents in the mass media.

He said it was important “to be very responsive” and find the perpetrators behind the attacks.

“I want it to be found out on who did it and with what motive,” Yudhoyono said.

Police have been forced to deny that they were in any way involved in the Tempo attack early on Tuesday morning and the violent beating of Indonesian Corruption Watch investigator Tama Satrya Langkun early this morning.

Tama featured prominently in an ICW investigation into millions of dollars stashed in the bank accounts of a number of police generals, while Tempo named the generals in question.

Yudhoyono — who has failed to make any recent inroads in the battle against corruption despite previously claiming it was his number one priority — however, appeared to attempt to deflect criticism from the badly tarnished police force by stating that he believed a third party could be attempting to take advantage of the situation.

“It is very possible that when two parties have differences and want to solve their problems, there’s another party,” he said. “For that reason, let’s put everything in its place, uncover what really happened, so there will not be issues, rumors and wild analysis.”

Yudhoyono said that it was government policy to build good governance, eradicate corruption, respect human rights and build democracy.

“For that reason, if something is wrong, we should take the appropriate measures,” he said. “I don’t know yet who did it, but the police, God willing, will soon find out and save everything.”

On Tuesday, Yudhoyono, who has acknowledged that since 2005 police have been Indonesia's most criticized government institution, urged police to investigate the generals and sanction them if they are found to have broken the law.

The police have so far failed — or refused — to act.

The National Police and Tempo, meanwhile, say they have begun to heal their rift after police threatened to sue the magazine for using the images of piggy banks on the front cover of last week’s issue on indications of massive police corruption.

Both parties signed a four-point agreement for the Press Council to mediate their differences.