Police Urged to Protect Complainants

VIVAnews - Head of Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), Abdul Haris Semendawai, acknowledged that the agency cannot yet provide physical protection for three activists of People and Students' Coalition for Tasikmalaya (KMRT). It is apparent that LPSK has minimum human resources.

"LPSK's staff is not complete yet. The plan is that LPSK will form task forces to protect a complainant when attending a court session," said Semendawai on Friday, Jan 16.

Meanwhile, said Semendawai, LPSK will review complaints from three student activists, Jamaladin, Bagus Zaman and Zam Zam Zamaludin, who have been terrorized and intimidated for reporting a corruption case. "We will send a letter to Chief of a Tasikmalaya Police Department. We will facilitate the students," he said.

Semendawai said that he promised to inform the police that the intimidated activists should receive protection from the police.

Meanwhile, after meeting LPSK, Jamaladin, one of the activists, said that he and his two friends are still receiving threats through SMSes. "We are instead accused of committing defamation. We come here to ask for protection because the case has been submitted to court," he said.

In addition to being intimidated after reporting the alleged corruption case on special fund allocation of education at Tasikmalaya Regency valuing to Rp 5.8 billion (US$519,000), the activists were also threatened of being sued. "We are instead accused of committing defamation," he said.

Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono