Tom McCawley
Financial Times
September 15, 2000

Jakarta – Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian president, said on Friday that the youngest son of former president Suharto, Hutomo Mandala Putra also known as Tommy, would be arrested in connection with a car bomb blast at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) on Wednesday.

“In the cabinet meeting yesterday, I ordered the police to arrest Tommy in relation to the bomb case,” the president told a meeting of Muslims following Friday prayers.

Saleh Saat, police spokesman, said the Jakarta police had not yet received an order to arrest Mr Suharto’s son.

Mr Saat said police would interpret the president’s comments as an instruction to gather further evidence in relation to the bombing.

The bomb blast, which killed 15 and injured over 27, was made from plastic explosives and planted by professionals, police said.

In comments to the press, senior officials on Thursday implied that elements of the military and the Suharto family were involved in the bombing.

Former president Suharto is the subject of a corruption trial for the alleged misuse of $576m of state funds. He did not appear in court on Thursday because of illness, according to his lawyers.

Marzuki Darusman, Indonesian attorney general, has said he is confident that he will be able to convict Mr Suharto, who has been promised a presidential pardon if found guilty.

Mr Wahid, Indonesia’s first democratically elected president in 40 years has repeatedly warned that “status quo” forces are working to destabilise his government by inciting violence across the archipelago.

Indonesia is still shaking off the legacy of 32-years of autocratic military-backed rule, which ended in 1998 when Mr Suharto stepped down following widespread protests and riots.

But Mr Wahid has been able to provide little evidence that the wave of security problems in Indonesia, including a bomb blast at the attorney general’s office, are connected to the Suharto family.