Police to name Rizal Ramli a suspect in fuel rally riot

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 09/17/2008 7:09 PM | Headlines

The National Police will name Rizal Ramli, former coordinating minister for economy, a suspect for allegedly backing a student rally over fuel price rises that led to a riot in June.

National Police director of security and transnational affairs Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti on Wednesday said they had enough evidence to show Rizal financially backed the rally.

"Meetings on the establishment of the Indonesia Rise Committee (KBI) are part of the evidence," he told reporters.

Rizal is the chairman of KBI. In June, police detained KBI secretary-general Ferry Yuliantono on charges of masterminding the student protest.

In the protest, hundreds of students from several universities staged a rally to pressure the government to cancel its decision to raise fuel prices.

The protest turned into a riot when students and other young people burned tires and cars, and tore down the gates to the House of Representatives building. Seven people were declared
suspects afterwards.

Badrodin, however, declined to inform when the police would officially announced Rizal as a suspect.

"Probably after Lebaran (Idul Fitri)," he said, adding that Rizal would be charged with provocation and partaking in a crime.

During the investigation and questioning, Rizal denied KBI was involved in the protest.

The noted economist, who was a vocal opponent of the government's decision to increase fuel prices, was fired from his position as president commissioner of state-owned cement producer PT Semen Gresik following the allegations in June. (dre)

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