ARMY CHIEF'S SON STILL DETAINED OVER DRUG BUST

JAKARTA (JP): A junior Army officer who was arrested by police during a drug
raid in Jakarta is still being detained at the headquarters of his unit,
Special Force (Kopassus), according to a police officer who is closely
following the case.

The Jakarta Police, which made the bust, however never officially confirmed
press reports of the arrest of 24-year old Second Lt. Agus Ishok, who is
also the son of Army chief of staff Gen. Subagyo.

"I don't know... I don't know anything about the case anymore. Don't ask me
about it. I am not handling the case," Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen.
Noegroho Djajoesman told reporters.

Asked for confirmation that the suspect was being detained at Kopassus'
headquarters, Noegroho retorted: "Don't ask me!"

A senior police officer however confirmed the report, which contradicted
earlier speculation that Agus had been handed over to the Military Police
for questioning.

"Yes, he is being detained there. But his fate is unknown," said the source
who requested anonymity.

"That 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,"
the officer said.

"Elsewhere in the world, if police caught a soldier doing drugs, they would
handle the case. 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
jail or a fine of up to Rp 200 million (US$26,666), although few judges have
had the courage to give the maximum penalty. It is not immediately known
whether such an offense carries a similar penalty in a military court.

Agus was apprehended during a drug raid at a hotel on Aug. 8 by the West
Jakarta Police. He and an accomplice were caught in possession of heroin,
shabu-shabu and over 6,000 ecstasy pills.

Agus had given a different name at the time of the arrest but when police
discovered his real identity during questioning later, he was immediately
escorted to his father's house apparently upon Noegroho's orders, according
to a police source.

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

In subsequent police reports, however, Agus's name has been excised, and
Nugroho and his staff has since been forced to deny any knowledge of the arrest.

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

"The Indonesian Military must dare to take responsibility. It must explain
to the people what the case was all about," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"Whatever the consequence of the case, TNI must explain," he said.

On Wednesday, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar called
on the courts to mete the maximum penalty for drug traffickers, noting the
alarming increase of drug use among the country's youths.

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