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Police lock up Australia's Rob McNeice for 15 months
Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 11/02/2009 1:46 PM | National
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has identified an alleged rights violation involving the 15-month detention without trial of Australian citizen Rob McNeice.
Arrested in Aceh in August last year on a request from the Australian Federal Police, McNeice has since been detained in the National Police headquarters in Jakarta while awaiting the extradition proceedings.
"Yes, we've found an alleged rights abuse, because the period of his detention has been longer than that allowed under Indonesian law," the commission's Johny Nelson Simanjuntak told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
"Our Criminal Code rules that detention should not exceed 60 days. And I believe also based on Australian law his detention has been much longer than that allowed."
McNeice's extradition application had been rejected by the South Jakarta District Court since he had apparently not committed a crime, a prerequisite for extradition, Johny said.
McNeice had been involved in a debt problem in Australia, which was a civil, not criminal, case, he said.
Johny said he had sought clarification from the Indonesian police over the Australian citizen's ongoing detention, but they had not responded.
"Next week we will send a recommendation letter to the President, asking him to find a solution to the matter. This case could become a stumbling block for his government," Johny said.
According to his Indonesian spokesperson, Multatuli, McNeice had been a subject to "harsh conditions" in the Indonesian police detention.
"Rob sleeps on the floor, and has suffered from a mild case of malaria, dengue fever and ongoing digestive issues from the bacteria-infected facility," Multatuli said in a statement sent to the Post.
McNeice, who is also a citizen of New Zealand, also regretted that the Australian Embassy had apparently neglected him, with his requests for legal assistance receiving no response.
McNiece claimed to have written request letters to the Embassy in January, about six months after his arrest, and again in early August, but to no avail.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said he had not heard anything about McNeice's case, since there had been no requests from the Australian government to settle the matter.
"When our citizens face problems overseas, we will react. I don't understand why *Australia* hasn't reacted about this case," Teuku said. McNeice was reportedly running a coffee business in Aceh when he was arrested. Local magazine Gatra reported he had allegedly been involved in a fraud case while still in Australia.
Indonesia's National Police could not be contacted Saturday, while the Australian Embassy in Jakarta told the Post to contact the Australian Attorney General's Department Media Unit (in Canberra) for comment.
The unit, however, has not responded to phone messages left by the Post regarding the matter.
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John Ralph (not verified), Jakarta — Wed, 11/04/2009 - 9:07am
Typical corrupt Indonesian police where they see the bule as a source of income. Crime has nothing to do with it otherwise you would see 90% of Indonesia's politicians bureaucrats and judges in the jail. The whole world knows this to be true. Gutless police. Cowards