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The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Jakarta police bust international drug trafficking ring, seize 47kg methamphetamine
JAKARTA: (Bernama-Antara) Jakarta Metropolitan Police have announced the arrest of seven drug traffickers and the seizure of 47 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, believed to belong to an international trafficking ring, reported Antara news agency. The suspects were apprehended in a series of raids across Jakarta and surrounding areas in July and August, Chief of the Jakarta Police's Narcotics Division, Senior Commissioner Ahmad David, said on Friday (Aug 15). He explained that the syndicate had been operating for about four months and used Chinese tea packaging to smuggle crystal meth. The traffickers also relied on a "drop point" system - leaving packages at designated locations to avoid direct handovers, David said. The police operation began in early July following a public tip-off. On July 10, officers arrested three suspects - identified only as SA, DE, and AW - at a rented house in West Jakarta. During the raid, police seized 11 kg of meth hidden inside a modified vehicle compartment. On July 31, three more suspects, AD, DM, and MM, were captured in South Tangerang and South Jakarta. Officers confiscated 35 kg of meth packed in gold-coloured Chinese tea bags, also concealed in a modified vehicle. The seventh suspect, Z, was arrested in East Jakarta on August 12. His detention led to the discovery of 1.02 kg of meth stashed in a motorcycle seat. The meth was believed to have originated from Iran and China, shipped via Malaysia before entering Indonesia through Sumatra and transported overland to Jakarta, David said. The seven suspects have been charged under Articles 114 (2) and 112 (2) of Indonesia's 2009 Narcotics Law, which carry the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a maximum of 20 years in prison. To curb the drug trade, Jakarta Police are increasing surveillance of narcotics sales on e-commerce platforms and social media. David said his division remains committed to cracking down on drug trafficking, which he described as a serious threat to Indonesia's younger generations. - Bernama-Antara
The Star
30-07-2025
- The Star
Police find no elements of crime in Indonesian diplomat's death
JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police have found no signs of criminal activity or participation of any other individuals in the death of Foreign Ministry employee Arya Daru Pangayunan, whose body was found on his bed with his head covered in a plastic bag and wrapped with yellow duct tape earlier this month. In a press briefing on Tuesday (July 29), Jakarta Police director for general crimes Sr. Comr. Wira Satya Triputra said that police investigation had concluded that Arya's death was 'the result of upper airway obstruction'. 'The investigation indicated that Arya's death occurred without the involvement of anyone else,' Wira said. He revealed that only Arya's own fingerprint was found on the duct tape around his head and that the investigation found no evidence of physical or psychological threats or violence directed at Arya before his death. Wira, however, stopped short of saying whether Arya committed suicide or not. The 39-year-old junior diplomat specialising in the protection of Indonesian citizens abroad was found by his rooming house guard lying on his bed in Gondangdia, Central Jakarta, on July 8 with his head wrapped in plastic and yellow duct tape. His room was locked from the inside. Police previously said that CCTV footage showed that Arya, on the evening before the discovery of his body, visited a shopping mall in Jakarta and later took a taxi to the Foreign Ministry building, where he went to the rooftop. Arya reportedly spent an hour near midnight on the rooftop and attempted to climb a wall there before returning to his rooming house. An analysis of Arya's email history revealed that he had contacted mental health services in 2013 and 2021. 'There were several emails sent that indicated an intention to commit suicide due to problems he was facing at the time,' a forensic psychology investigator said in the Tuesday press briefing. Police presented several pieces of evidence in the press briefing, including the yellow duct tape used to cover Arya's head, his laptops and medical records as well as an old mobile phone he used until 2022, while his latest phone remains missing. In their three-week investigation, police had questioned at least 22 witnesses, including Arya's coworkers, a taxi driver, the boarding house guard and owner and Arya's wife. Forensic experts who worked with the police on the case found no harmful substances in Arya's body that could have interfered with oxygen exchange. Toxicology tests detected only paracetamol and chlorpheniramine, a combination of commonly used medications for pain relief and allergies, known to have only mild sedative effects. Arya was reportedly preparing for his new posting in Finland and was scheduled to depart at the end of July. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Star
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Jokowi suspects political motive behind diploma scandal, calls to impeach son Gibran
JAKARTA: Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has suggested that political motivations are behind the allegation casting doubt on the authenticity of his academic credentials as well as the calls to impeach his son, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. 'My political instinct tells me these are attempts to damage or downgrade my political reputation,' the former president said on Monday (July 14), as quoted in a report on the Kompas TV website. However, he said he was not bothered by the scandals: 'To me, it's nothing out of the ordinary.' After stepping down at the end of his second and final term in October 2024, several public figures alleged that Jokowi's senior high school certificate and other academic diplomas were fake. His accusers included Roy Suryo, a telematics expert and former youth and sports minister, and Rismon Sianipar, a digital forensics expert and lecturer at Mataram University, as well as individuals affiliated with a group called the Ulema and Activist Defenders Team (TPUA). The fake diploma scandal resurfaced earlier this year while the former president was reportedly recovering from an illness at his home in Surakarta, Central Java, when a lawsuit was filed with the Surakarta District Court to challenge the documents' authenticity. In response, Jokowi reported the plaintiffs to the Jakarta Police with reference to the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, in particular a provision on the distribution of electronic content that incites hate or hostility, or contains false information. On Friday, the police announced a plan to open an investigation into four of the six defamation reports filed by Jokowi. 'It was concluded [that] we found indications of a criminal offence,' Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr Comr Ade Ary Syam Indradi said on July 11, as quoted by state news agency Antara. Ade added that investigators might need to question Jokowi as the primary complainant, as well as other witnesses as the case developed. The announcement prompted a response from Roy, who questioned the validity of the evidence used to open a formal police investigation, pointing out that copies of the diplomas under question would be inadmissible. 'Everyone knows that under the law, a photocopy [of a document] is not considered evidence,' he said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas TV. 'If it's only a copy, it is highly irregular for the investigation to proceed.' The recent development marks an about-turn from a decision made earlier in May, when the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) dismissed the case after investigators deemed that Jokowi's diplomas were authentic. The TPUA challenged that decision, however, and requested the police to review the case again. The police granted the request and held a special case review last week, to which all plaintiffs were summoned to clarify the claims in their lawsuit. Along with Roy and Rismon, the TPUA presented its analysis on a photograph of Jokowi's undergraduate diploma from Gadjah Mada University's Forestry Department at the centre of their legal challenge. Although the plaintiffs have expressed confidence that the case would ultimately be brought to court despite denials from Jokowi's legal team, the Bareskrim has not released the outcome of its case review. The Bareskrim review will not affect the Jakarta Police's investigation into the defamation complaint filed by Jokowi. Around the same time, retired military officers grouped in the Indonesian Military Retirees Forum (FPPTNI) called on the legislature to impeach Gibran over a judicial ethics scandal linked to his vice presidential candidacy in the 2024 election. In a letter submitted to the House of Representatives last month, the group asked lawmakers to begin the process of bringing charges against the Vice President, though the petition for impeachment has not been brought to a House plenary session as required under law. Maj Gen (ret) Soenarko of the FPPTNI has dismissed Jokowi's claim that the group's petition to impeach his son was politically motivated. 'Our agenda is to safeguard Indonesia from irresponsible actors and nepotism,' he said on Tuesday, as quoted by - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Star
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesian police probe death of diplomat in Central Jakarta
JAKARTA: National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has pledged a thorough investigation into the death of Foreign Ministry employee Arya Daru Pangayunan, whose body was found earlier this week at a rooming house in Gondangdia, Central Jakarta. 'The investigation is ongoing and will be pursued in detail,' Listyo said on Friday (July 11), as quoted by state news agency Antara. He added that the Jakarta Police were currently handling the case, supported by the Menteng Police precinct where the body was discovered. Separately, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto said that investigators expected the case to be resolved within a week. 'All the evidence, CCTV, forensic medical findings and digital traces, is being analysed. Hopefully, in about a week we will have conclusions,' he said on Friday. Arya, 39, was a junior diplomat at the Foreign Ministry, specialising in the protection of Indonesian citizens abroad. His death has raised questions, particularly due to the circumstances in which he was found. The police reported that Arya was discovered in his rented room on Jl. Gondangdia Kecil on Tuesday morning. His head was covered with duct tape, but investigators found no signs of external injuries or missing personal belongings, and the room was locked from the inside. Menteng Police chief Commr. Rezha Rahandhi said at the time the police could not rule out a potential murder, even though there were no immediate signs of forced entry or damage at the scene, nor signs of physical violence. Arya's body has been taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for further examination. An autopsy is under consideration, pending the family's consent. As of Friday, the cause of death had yet to be officially determined, even as police continued a comprehensive probe using all available forensic and witness leads. House of Representatives lawmaker Sarifah Ainun Jariyah issued a statement on Thursday calling for a thorough probe into the diplomat's 'unnatural death'. 'Police must solve this case immediately,' Sarifah asserted. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah 'Roy' Soemirat said late on Thursday that the ministry continued to monitor the situation closely and expressed condolences to Arya's family. 'In light of the widespread media coverage of the passing of our colleague Daru, I wish to reiterate what we conveyed on July 8. The Foreign Minister and the entire Foreign Ministry community extend our deepest condolences to the family,' Roy said in a written statement. 'We leave the matter entirely to law enforcement, who are continuing their investigation.' Arya's death was first discovered when his wife, who had last spoken to him around 9 p.m. on Monday, failed to reach him the next morning. Concerned, she asked staff at the rooming house to check on him. After receiving no response, they entered the room and found his body. The police have questioned several witnesses and collected CCTV footage from the area. Arya was originally from Sleman regency, Jogjakarta. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Star
05-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Jakarta Police under fire for criminalising student paramedics
JAKARTA: The University of Indonesia (UI) and several civil society organisations have condemned the police's alleged use of excessive force and criminalisation of student protesters during the May Day rally in Jakarta last month, describing the actions as an abuse of power that threatens citizens' democratic rights. The criticism was sparked by the controversial naming of UI student Cho Yong Gi as a suspect, despite his role as a medical volunteer at the demonstration. Yong Gi, a philosophy student who was wearing medical attire and carrying first-aid equipment, was reportedly subjected to physical violence before being arrested. In a statement released on Tuesday (June 3), UI's Department of Philosophy expressed deep concern over the incident and pledged to provide full support to Yong Gi during the legal process. 'Arresting participants who were working in humanitarian roles, especially with the use of violence, raises serious concerns about civilian rights, including the protection of medical workers in peaceful demonstrations,' the statement reads. 'We urge the Jakarta police to handle this case objectively and fairly, taking into account our student's position and the humanitarian duties he was performing at the time.' The Jakarta Police have opened investigations into 14 suspects in connection with the May 1 protest in front of the House of Representatives building. The authorities claimed that the protests on May 1 had resulted in a chaotic demonstration and had disrupted public order. After arresting alleged violators, the police named 13 suspects on May 8 and subsequently named one more suspect. Among the 14 suspects are ten protesters and four individuals who served as medical and paralegal volunteers during the rally. 'They are suspected of committing a criminal offence by disobeying orders of intentionally failing to leave after being ordered to do so three times by authorised authorities, as stipulated in Articles 216 and 218 of the Criminal Code [KUHP],' said Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ade Ary Syam during a press briefing on Tuesday. Meanwhile, UI's Student Executive Body reported in a separate statement that three out of the 14 suspects are the university's students. The student body reported that the demonstration proceeded peacefully until around 4:45 p.m. when police began dispersing the crowd using water cannons and barricades, triggering widespread panic as protesters ran to seek safety. 'During the forced dispersal, our colleagues were dragged away by several police officers and subjected to acts of violence, including being put in chokeholds, punched, kicked and stomped on by the authorities,' read the statement. 'We strongly condemn and oppose all forms of repressive and arbitrary actions carried out by the police against fellow activists. This incident is not an isolated case, but rather part of a broader pattern of repression systematically perpetuated by the state,' it added. Last month, the police also named 16 Trisakti University students suspects for a violent clash during a protest on May 21 to commemorate the reform era. But the police said that they have not issued arrest warrants and would be open to applying a restorative justice approach, Tempo reported. Rights group Amnesty International Indonesia said the recent arrest of May Day protestors reflects the excessive use of state force, and is part of a recurring pattern seen across numerous demonstrations. 'We have consistently called for accountability for this excessive use of force and urged authorities to ensure such incidents do not happen again,' said Usman Hamid, Amnesty's executive director, on Wednesday. His concerns were echoed by Fadhil Alfathan, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta). 'If this legal process continues as it is, we fear it will result in a flawed and unjust trial. Rather than upholding the rule of law, it risks punishing innocent people,' he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
