SUTIYOSO FIRES NEW SALVO IN WAR ON DRUGS

JAKARTA (JP): In the daunting campaign for a drug-free Jakarta,
Governor Sutiyoso introduced a new plan on Thursday for meting out
heavy punishment to drug dealers in the capital.

He said he would soon meet heads of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office
and the Jakarta High Court to discuss measures for imposing severe
sentences on people convicted of drug offenses.

"I will ask the head of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office to order his
subordinates to indict alleged drug dealers on charges carrying heavy
sentences," he said.

"At the same time, I will ask the head of the Jakarta High Court to
hand down severe sentences to convicted drug offenders."

Sutiyoso has railed against light sentences for drug dealers as one of
the contributors to the rise in drug use in the city.

He suggested earlier in the week that the country follow the lead of
its neighbors Malaysia and Singapore in imposing the death penalty.

Sutiyoso also called on the public to monitor the charges brought by
prosecutors and the verdicts issued by the judges.

"Light sentences for drug dealers have been caused by the people's
failure to monitor the prosecutions of drug cases," he said.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri urged the public's active
involvement in monitoring the trials of defendants accused of drug
offenses when Sutiyoso and several anti-drug activists visited her home
in Pasar Minggu, So uth Jakarta, on Tuesday.

The governor said he would designate community posts -- mostly set up
by activists of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) -- across the city as locations for disseminating
information about the anti-drug campaign.

"The city administration will allocate some funds if they need money
for the operational expenditures of the communication posts." He did
not disclose an amount.

City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo supported Sutiyoso's plan to meet with
the chiefs of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office and the Jakarta High
Court.

"We support the governor's plan. The Council will also hold meetings
with the city's legal officials," Edy said on Thursday.

He said heavy sentences should be imposed on convicted dealers as a
deterrent against drug trafficking in the city.

He also urged the public to join the battle against drug trafficking
in their communities.

Several areas in the city, including Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta,
have become centers for drug trafficking which also reportedly
involves foreigners.

The 1997 Narcotics Law carries the death penalty for convicted drug
dealers but the maximum sentence has never been imposed.

Many speculate there is rampant collusion between prosecutors, judges
and lawyers in ensuring that major drug suspects receive light
sentences. Some contend that mafia bosses hire lawyers who can ensure
lenient trials and verdicts.

Special treatment of drug convicts allegedly continues in many
prisons. Several convicted drug prisoners reportedly escaped from
Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta earlier this year.