Police name presidential area trespasser suspect

Sulung Hadi Sukmawan, a Malang, East Java resident who claims he was assaulted by presidential security officers, has been named a suspect by the Malang Police for riding his motorbike recklessly.

“The person [Sulung] has been named as a suspect for violating Article 311, Clause 2 of the Traffic Law by causing harm to another person,” Malang Traffic Unit head Adj. Comr. Fahri Siregar said Friday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Sulung, Fahri explained, was deemed responsible for the injuries sustained by Slamet Hariadi, a work colleague who was riding on the back of the motorbike at the time, when they breached the President’s second-ring, sterile area on Wednesday.

According to the police, Sulung, who was driving the motorbike, broke into the no-go area at 10:15 p.m.

Security officers tried to stop Sulung but he accelerated and crashed into a chair, injuring himself in the process, Fahri added.

Sulung, however, said that he had been beaten by security officers for breaching the area.

Sulung is currently being treated at the Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital in Malang after losing six of his teeth and suffering a serious injury to his left foot in the incident. (awd)