Malaysia cops jailed for beating Indonesia referee

A court sentenced four policemen to six months in jail for assaulting an Indonesian man who was in Malaysia for a karate competition, a prosecutor said Friday, one of several incidents that soured relations between the neighboring countries.

A district court in central Negri Sembilan state found the four policemen guilty Thursday of "voluntarily causing hurt" to karate referee Donald Peter Luther Kolipita, prosecutor Wan Shahruddin Wan Ladin said.

Kolipita was stopped by plainclothes police while he was in Malaysia for the Asian Karate Championships in August 2007. Police said Kolipita was acting suspiciously, but Indonesian Embassy officials said Kolipita thought he was being robbed and initially fought back.

The assault left him with injuries to his eyes and left testicle, and the four policemen were suspended. The Indonesian Embassy sent a protest note to Malaysia's foreign ministry. The incident also led to anti-Malaysian protests in Indonesia.

Judge Nor Alis Mat ruled Thursday that medical and other evidence against the four was strong enough to convict them, but agreed to hold off the prison sentence while the policemen appeal the verdict, Wan Shahruddin said. The maximum jail term for the offense is one year.

Indonesian Embassy official Widyarka Ryananta welcomed the ruling, saying it seemed Malaysia was ensuring more successful prosecutions of abuse cases.

Such cases, especially involving Indonesian maids mistreated by their employers, have frequently marred the otherwise strong ties between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Last year, Indonesia officially barred maids from coming to Malaysia after several high-profile abuse cases. More than 1.5 million Indonesians work in Malaysia's plantation, construction, manufacturing and other industries.