Arrested Activists Plan to Infiltrate Jakarta Rally: Police

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar revealed that ten individuals arrested for alleged treason were planning to take an advantage of the Jakarta Rally held at the National Monument (Monas) Friday, December 2, 2016.

“They were planning to take an advantage of participants who performed the joint prayer,” he told journalists at Monas, Jakarta, on Friday, December 2, 2016. 

Boy revealed that the arrested individuals are Soekarno’s daughter Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, musician Ahmad Dhani, Eko, retired military official Kivlan Zein, activist Ratna Sarumpaet, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Jamran, Firza Husen, Adityawarman, and Rizal Kobar. They are currently undergoing interrogation at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Headquarter in Depok, West Java.

He explained that some of them have been proven to commit treason and violated articles 107 and 110 of the Criminal Code. They found two strong evidence proving their involvement in the treason. Boy said that they were planning to overthrow President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and occupy the House of Representatives.

According to Boy, the ten individuals were working as a team to overthrow President Jokowi. He said that the prepared the plan for three weeks. Earlier, Sri Bintang Rachmawati, and other figures asserted that they were planning to topple President Jokowi. 

The National Police then arrested them on Friday morning, December 2, 2016, and named them as suspects. Boy said that it would take 24 hours to decide whether they will be detained.

The police did not confirm about the scale of their movement to take Jokowi down from his position. Boy also did not clarify the mastermind behind the treason plot. 

AVIT HIDAYAT