Indonesia: Police arrest five suspects in journalist's murder

Source : Jakarta Post 25.05.2009

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

More than three months after the dead body of local journalist was found floating in the waters of southern Bali, the Bali Police finally made a significant breakthrough by officially detaining five individuals allegedly involved in the murder.

The announcement was made by the Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein on Sunday as he accompanied President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on an unofficial visit at the island's largest souvenir market in Sukawati, Gianyar.

Husein said police detectives made the arrest on Saturday night.

"Last night, the *alleged* perpetrators were taken *into police custody*."

Following the arrest, the local police's top brass convened Sunday morning to determine the legal status of the detained individuals. In the brief meeting, the high-ranking officers agreed the detectives had sufficient evidences to name the individuals as suspects in the case.

However, Husein dodged the question on the identities of the five suspects. He said the information will be revealed at a special press conference Monday morning.

"*Wait until* tomorrow, I will personally explain everything," he stressed.

A source close to the investigation said the chief had closely monitored and supervised the investigation of the case since its inception.

"The chief is determined the murder must be solved before he leave the island for a new post in Jakarta," the source said, adding Husein had actually been scheduled to take the new post earlier this month.

*He pushed the schedule to late June and told his men that they have until June to solve the murder."

The journalist, AA Narendra Prabangsa, was found dead Feb. 16 after being missing for five days. Local fishermen and police officers fished his body out of the waters offshore Padangbai, Karangasem. His body displayed signs of violence, including blunt force trauma to the head.

Early investigation was stalled by lack of evidence and eyewitnesses, and, most importantly, by an unfounded rumor that Prabangsa was the victim of a crime of passion. He reportedly had an extramarital affair with an aide of the local legislative council speaker. The affair went sour when the aide's husband learned about the illicit relationship.

The local journalist community then pushed the police to look for other motives. Prabangsa's colleagues believed that the journalist was murdered over a story he was working on. Prabangsa was the regional desk editor of the local daily Radar Bali, which is owned by the national media giant Jawa Pos Group.

The investigating officers changed the course of the investigation, an action that eventually brought them to a government-funded construction project involving the Bangli Education Agency and a developer, I Nyoman Susrama. Susrama, the kid brother of the Bangli Regent, was appointed by the Agency to implement the project. Reportedly, Prabangsa was preparing a story on this project when he went missing.

Early last week, detectives brought Susrama and five other individuals in for interrogation following a search involving 30 officers and forensic specialists at Susrama's two houses.

The first house lies in Kawan village, the second one in Taman Bali village. The latter village is also the home village of the victim and the last place he was seen alive.

The officers seized several items from the houses, including a cardboard box, a bag, a decorative rencong dagger and a carpet. They also succeeded in retrieving samples of blood traces found on the houses' front porches. Laboratory tests further confirmed the blood as human. DNA tests are still underway to determine whether the blood is Prabangsa's.

Husein was optimistic that the police's thorough and scientific investigation methods will produce an airtight case against the suspects.

"I am convinced they will be unable to evade *the legal consequences in* the court because we have prepared the case in a careful manner."