38 officers questioned over Buol incident

Police internal affairs has questioned 38 police officers in connection with a Sept. 1 clash in Buol regency that left eight local residents dead and dozens of others injured, Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Muhammad Amin Saleh has said.

However, Amin said, investigators had been unable to collect sufficient evidence to charge any of the officers. Only one officer, identified as Amr, could be named suspect after the father of a victim, Iksan, testified that he had heard the officer shoot his son to death.

"During questioning Ikhsan’s father said he had only heard about the shooting incident from two neighbors, who did not actually see the shooting themselves,” Amin said.

The National Commission on Human Rights has blamed the police for the incident, which it called a gross human rights violation.

Amin said 13 other police officers were being quizzed in connection with the death of motorcycle taxi driver Kasmir Timumun at the Biau police detention center, which was the incident that triggered the violence.

Antara news agency quoted a police source as saying that the officers in question included Biau police station chief First Insp. Zakir Butudoka, Buol police traffic unit chief First Insp. Jefri R. Pantouw and Biau police station traffic accidents unit Adj. Insp. Rustanto.

Hundreds of angry people raided Biau police station on Sept. 1 after the police had failed to respond to their demand to name those responsible for Kasmir's death.