Gun Violence: Enough of a Reason to Restrict Gun Ownership?

The Constitution of the United States of America provides in the Second Amendment the right of her citizens to "keep and bear arms". The US Supreme Court has addressed the issue a number of times and has affirmed that the right extends beyond guns being kept solely for use in a militia (see District of Columbia v. Heller). I do not claim to be a US constitutional law expert, or even a constitutional law expert.

What follows is commentary in light of the recent shooting deaths of six people in Tuscon Arizona recently. The attack occurred at a "meet & greet" the constituents event being held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

I am anti-guns. I do not see the use of them. I have fired the odd gun in the past, but it is just not my thing. I do not enjoy guns. I know many people who do enjoy guns and who make a good case for owning one or two or more. I am not anti-guns in the sense of law enforcement having them. Perhaps I am anti-guns in terms of how easy they are to acquire and how devastating they can be when used for illegal purposes.

I cannot imagine that the founding fathers or the early political masters of the US had in mind the sort of gun violence that afflicts the US now. I am almost certain that the founding fathers did not envisage that the right to own guns would become a right to wreak havoc, despair and death on innocents; men, women and children.

My condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in this tragedy: U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63; Christina Greene, 9; Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Scheck, 79.U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63; Christina Greene, 9; Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Scheck, 79. I also offer my best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to all those who were injured in this instance of madness and senseless violence.

I have been reading with interest that there are connections being made to the "vitriol" and over-the-top rhetoric, which includes references to gun violence, in the political debate. In my mind this is an associated, but secondary issue. The focus must remain on guns and the ease of access to them.

I wonder if there would be a significant drop in gun-related violence if the rules governing gun ownership were further tightened to a degree that they became incredibly onerous? Or, would this just serve to promote a black market for weapons allowing gun violence to persist?

I would be happy to live in a world without guns. Yet, I am a realist. If we did not have guns then we would kill ourselves with whatever weapons were available. yet, it would probably take a lot longer to kill six people with a bow and arrow in comparison to getting off 20 rounds from an automatic handgun.

Hopefully, this tragedy will spur some debate about guns and gun ownership that will generate a whole lot of bipartisan support that will ultimately see the rules tightened even further. Maybe, it is time that politicians and others stopped trying to hide behind some universal and blanket right allegedly secured by the founding fathers and had a little bit of a think about what the founding fathers were really concerned about when it came to the right to keep and bear arms.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit that the founding fathers and the early political statesmen of the Republic did not have the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in mind when confirming the Second Amendment as part of a "Bill of Rights".

Is Tommy Soeharto a Murderer?

Tommy Soeharto (aka Hutomo Mandala Putra) has decided that he needs to sue an Indonesian magazine for printing a phrase that in essence says, "Tommy Soeharto is a convicted murderer". The magazine, Garuda",  published the alleged offending phrase in December 2009.

The problem as Tommy sees it is that the article was about his business interests in a resort in Bali, and therefore there is no correlation with any previous actions of his. I thought that "Garuda" was the in-flight magazine that you get when you fly with Garuda.

It would seem that Tommy and his legal representatives have forgotten that he is in fact a convicted murderer. He did ten years for the premeditated assassination of a Supreme Court judge. This, if I am not mistaken, is a fact of life; a fact of Tommy Soeharto's life that he cannot escape.

Nevertheless, Tommy seems to think that he deserves a public apology, and that the apology should be published in a national newspaper. Perhaps at the same time he can instruct his lawyers to place a public apology in the same paper noting his remorse over his criminal activities, including an apology to the family of the judge, Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, who he ordered murdered for having the courage to sentence Tommy Soeharto to prison for breaking the law; graft I believe. If not, then Tommy should take his lawsuit and shove it where the sun don't shine. As a matter of fact he should just take his frivolous little suit and shove it where the sun don't shine.

To be perfectly honest, the title of murderer should, and must, follow Tommy wherever he goes.

The original news on this one comes from Detik (in Indonesian).

Munir -- Never Forget!

Maybe SBY's political legacy must be linked to the political assassination of Munir in order to convince the president that he has an obligation to see that those responsible for the killing are brought to justice. It seems that the current move out of the SBY play book is to sit this one out; if he ignores it for long enough then it will go away.

But, Mr. President, we will not forget.

Oh Dear, SBY...

Anyone listening to the President of late must be beginning to wonder if there is anyone out there who is not plotting to "do things" (red. kill) to him.

It appears that the latest arrests of terrorists in West Java overnight uncovered a plot to harm the Indonesian President.

I wonder if he has ever sat down and thought about why it seems there are so many people out there willing to lay it all on the line to kill him? He must have, mustn't he?

The point is that I would imagine that most leaders of large democracies have the crazies lurking out there and stalking them. All the while making all manner of plans to wreak havoc and cause mayhem, and maybe get an assassination plot up and running. But, you so rarely hear of them with other leaders.

So, I wonder whether there is a belief amongst SBY's closest advisors that making snippets of these plots and arrests public knowledge that there will be a positive bounce in opinion and popularity polls of the president?

I only ponder and pose these questions because I just do not see the point of adding a potential assassination plot into the mix. These arrests could have been made, terrorists links could have been established, and legal processes undertaken without the need to make the primary news, "look at me, I must be the good guy because there are terrorists out there trying to kill me!"

Ho hum...

SBY Visits Tama Satrya Langkun in Hospital...

Time for some sarcasm (or is it legitimate commentary?)...

The President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, paid a visit to the hospital to visit Tama Satrya Langkun and wish him a speedy recovery. In reality, this was nothing more than a photo opportunity and a chance to spruik a non-existent anti-corruption policy.

The president came to the presidency on a platform of anti-corruption and as the real deal as a corruption fighter. This was at best a pipe dream, at worst it was a calculated piece of electioneering that found a niche in the voting populace. In essence, this was nothing more than a electoral promise destined to be broken.

Not to miss out on an opportunity, the president had this to say to reporters after his visit, “Whatever the challenges, obstacles and threats that are being experienced by all who combat corruption, this big mission has to continue.” Just reading that should leave one shaking their head going, "whatever!"

This man, the president, has not proven to be a corruption fighter. If anything, he has proven that he is beholden to powerful interests and is more intent on survival than he is on leaving a legacy to which he can be rightfully proud. If there is one glaring example of this failure to confront vested interests and political corruption it is the fact that the poor residents in Sidoarjo and the surrounding villages have still not been properly compensated for their losses arising from the ongoing mud extrusion that by all legitimate accounts is directly attributable to the family companies of one Aburizal Bakrie.

The president is a corruption fighter whose presidential legacy is going to be what, the fact that corruption continued and continues to flourish under his watch. Nice legacy Mr. President!

But, it gets better because not wanting to miss out while he is on a roll, the president went on to add that “The show must go on. We should not be afraid of any threats and acts of violence.” Now, that is easy for you to say Mr. President as you have a presidential guard and a bevy of beefy looking young men guarding you, closing down roads so that you can pass unhindered by the masses, and ensuring that you enjoy all the perks of office. Yes, the show must go on, and thankfully that show is not dependent on you, but rather on the brave souls like Tama Satrya Langkun.

The idea that "we" should not be afraid of any threats or acts of violence is so easy to say when it is not you that is going to be subject to those threats or to that violence. Let's face it, the threats and violence might be less intimidating if there was a real chance that the perpetrators of this violence were likely to be caught and prosecuted to the full extent to the prevailing laws and regulations. However, it has been more than 5 years since Munir was assassinated on a Garuda flight to Amsterdam and none of the ring leaders of that crime have been brought to justice. You promised "us" many times that you would ensure that justice would be done and those that committed such a heinous crime would be prosecuted. So, forgive us Mr. President if we think your words are hollow and mean less than the paper they are written on or the airwaves which they cross.

Your legacy will be as the teflon president, nothing sticks! This is a terrible shame and an even greater disappointment to all of those many many many Indonesians who voted for you and hoped that under your stewardship their lives would get not only a little better, but a lot better.

SBY Orders an Investigation...So What Gitu Loh!

Uh huh!

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY as he is affectionately known to the masses, has ordered investigations on the recent arson attack on the offices of Tempo Magazine and the brutal beating (and stabbing) of Tama Satrya Langkun of Indonesian Corruption Watch.

The Tempo attack was a couple of Molotov cocktails thrown at their offices by unknown assailants. The attack follows hot on the heels of an edition of the magazine which reported police corruption. The whole print run was allegedly purchased by police as a means of keeping the edition of the streets. It must be noted that the police deny any role in purchasing the magazines. The Langkun beating and stabbing also comes hot on the heels of some whistleblowing on alleged police corruption and the funneling of very large sums of money into the private accounts of police officers.

Funnily enough (in that sad and perverse kind of a way) The Jakarta Globe is reporting that the president has been following these incidents through the mass media! Really? The president is relying on the mass media for his security and political updates. Now that is funny, and sad!

SBY has proven to be a real disappointment to many Indonesians. He is a man who came to power and the presidency on claims that he was a corruption fighter and a change maker, the undeniable game breaker. He was going to change the way politics was done in Indonesia. This has sadly not been the case. His legacy will be one of not meeting the expectations of the Indonesian public. History will not necessarily judge him in a positive light even after the passage of much time. Too many bad things have happened on his watch. He will be remembered for failures such as the Munir case. In the Munir case he assured Munir's widow that justice would be done and the perpetrators would be brought to justice for their crimes.

So, it is little wonder when SBY comes out and states unequivocally that it is important that law enforcement capture the perpetrators of these two crimes and then prosecute them to the full extent of the law that most people start to shake their heads and go "whatever!" This is particularly so when the president goes on record to say that it is a third party that is responsible for these crimes, and this party is taking advantage of the situation to further sully the police force's good name. Huh?

Should the above be construed as the president is in the know, and he in fact knows that the perpetrators are a third party? Or could this be construed by those cynics and conspiracy theorists among us as a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from the police and parties related to the police?

The onus is on the police and other law enforcement agencies to see all these cases resolved. The onus is on the president to do everything within his legal power to ensure that these cases are resolved. There must be accountability across the board. This is not just accountability for the perpetrators of these crimes but there must also be full accountability for those people tasked with uncovering the perpetrators and then prosecuting them.

In many ways, Indonesia's future depends on it!

Beating Activists in Indonesia...

Some things seem destined to never change. The fact that Indonesia seemingly does not take this kind of violence and brutality seriously only serves to embolden the perpetrators into believing that they can act with immunity and impunity. The Munir case remains unresolved; unresolved to any satisfaction to those who have suffered directly and to the great majority of Indonesians who suffer indirectly because of the president's, the government's, and law enforcement's desire not to pursue the case seriously.

This lack of action can be directly linked, at least in my humble opinion, to the recent brutal bashing and stabbing of Tama Satrya Langkun of Indonesian Corruption watch. Langkun is an investigator with ICW and has been prominent in the uncovering of alleged police corruption, particularly the publicising of some rather large deposits into the personal bank accounts of Indonesian police officers. Langkun was stabbed and beaten in a vicious attack in Duren Tiga in South Jakarta. He was riding a motorcycle with a colleague. The attack occurred at 3.45am. He is reportedly in a stable condition in a local hospital.

This was clearly not a robbery but rather a calculated attack against an activist. Nothing was stolen. In fact, the perpetrators revisited the scene of the crime after the attack to return Langkun's motorcycle helmet, which had been taken.

Indonesia claims to be a democracy where the rule of law prevails. This would be much easier to believe if the perpetrators of assassinations, such as that of Munir, and the political violence evidenced in this most recent attack were pursued and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Indonesia might be a democracy, but it is a democracy where the 'old ways' continue to be tolerated and seemingly encouraged through the lack of action taken by the powers that be.

Maybe it is time for all Indonesians to take a stand and demand something more than lip-service to the ideal of good governance, clean governance, democracy, and human rights from their fellow Indonesians in government and law enforcement.

It could be a long wait.

The photo was sourced from The Jakarta Globe via Facebook.

Round 2 for the KPK...

If the analogy of the ding dong drawn out battle between the KPK and the vested interests of the police, the AGO, and seemingly, the establishment, was that of a boxing match, then it is pretty clear that the KPK has convincingly won round two. It might not yet be the knockout blow, but the police, the AGO, and some of the other central figures within the buaya (crocodile) camp are teetering on the ropes just waiting for that final blow before crumpling to the knees and taking the mandatory count.

The police and the AGO will recover from this little contest of wills, if for no other reason that every functioning democratic state needs a viable police force and a viable, and accountable, AGO. However, this contest will develop into the perfect opportunity for the president, SBY, to reassume the mandate of anti-corruption reformer, and clean out the dead wood from both the ranks of the police and the AGO.

The first to go must be Susno Duaji, he should then be closely followed by the Chief of Police, Bambang Danuri. After that, there are a few people at the AGO who must be sweating a little more profusely than usual, starting with Abdul Hakim Ritonga. The AG himself is not safe in this purge, particularly if the president is worth his salt and takes the opportunity to clean house. The former prosecutor Wisnu Subroto seems the most likely of the former officials from the AGO to see heat.

The fallout form these shenanigans is likely to spread and pick up plenty of casualties along the way. The Witness and Victim Protection Agency is also likely to come under a fair bit more scrutiny as it now seems that there were several requests for protection made to them, including by one of the key players in this farce, Anggodo, the brother of the on the run corruption suspect Anggoro Widjojo.

However, it would also seem that there is much more at stake here as Susno Duaji also played a key role in suppressing the Bank Century case. In fact, it has often been reported that he played a key role in getting funds of certain depositors released in a manner which could conceivably be construed as being in breach of the prevailing regulations. Time and greater analysis of the "facts" will tell on that one though.

The recordings that were played to the Constitutional Court yesterday, were a bombshell of sorts. Yet, to all intents and purposes most of what was revealed had been suspected and been the substance of blogs, newspapers, magazines, and gossip pages for at least the last couple of days. Most interesting is the mention of the president's name and his alleged involvement in signing off on the targeting of Chandra and Bibit.

This is interesting on a number of fronts. The president must still be smarting from the fact that the Constitutional Court gave him a bit of a slap down on the interim law he issued to appoint three new commissioners to the KPK. However, to be linked into the frame of two KPK commissioners, which allegedly included discussion of an assassination of one of those commissioners, is troubling to say the least.

The president has called for a full investigation. Not surprising. However, in light of the tape and the alleged allegations the appointment of a Fact Finding Team (Tim Pencari Fakta / TPF) by the president may be perceived by many as an opportunity to cover one's tracks. Any fact finding team needs to not only be independent but be seen or perceived to be independent as well. The president seemingly has a conflict of interest in appointing the team.

For the president's sake, particularly his legacy on anti-corruption, this needs to turn out to be nothing more than a desperate Anggodo and others participating in a little bit of name dropping in order to convince others that the president is on board with what was going down. Nevertheless, the mere mentioning of the president's name should see plenty of questions being raised about the president and his role in this affair.

The playing of the tapes has seen a positive development or two already. Chandra and Bibit have been released from detention. And, Anggodo has been detained for questioning in order to determine how much of the tape is verifiable as being true, but probably more so in order to uncover the true extent of the conspiracy to frame Chandra and Bibit.

Perhaps the game is now up for the crocodiles and the cicak can now return to a much more peaceful life.

Death Threats and the Cicak vs. Buaya Shenanigans...

It would seem that the current shenanigans between the Cicak (pro-KPK) and the Buaya (pro-police / ago / establishment) is far more serious than many have been believing. The death threats are something that I have been aware of for a while. They are only now becoming publicly known. It is a scary and sad turn of events that planned assassinations are still the preferred method of silencing dissent.

Indonesia has learned nothing from the ongoing debacle that is the investigation into the assassination of Munir Said Thalib or as he is affectionately known by those who knew him, Munir. Or perhaps, the powers that be have in fact learned a thing or two. Specifically, they have learned that under the false promises and weak leadership of the current president that they can in essence murder with impunity. Some might wonder whether this statement is fair on the president, I would encourage you to think about Munir's widow, Suciwati, and children and then rethink what fair is, rethink what justice is, and then rethink whether the promises made by SBY to not only uncover the culprits, but to punish them to the full extent of the law have been fulfilled?

There has been some open speculation that perhaps Chandra M Hamzah has been targeted for assassination. This open speculation includes several law enforcers suggesting that the man has been targeted. This seems to be somewhat extreme for what the police have decided is nothing more than an abuse of power relating to the imposing and later revoking of a travel ban. The thought that there has even been talk of an assassination should be considered indicative of a much bigger "issue" needing to be covered up and buried.

I cannot imagine what Chandra and his family must be feeling knowing that his desire for public service and the desire to see Indonesia develop into a better country puts him at the forefront for political assassination. What is truly bizarre is that the police and others have gone to such lengths to frame Chandra and Bibit, but have come up empty handed on the evidence front.

Very amateurish to say the least but perhaps highlights why there is now talk of death threats and assassinations; if you cannot silence them through trumped up charges then there is always the belief that dead men tell no tales.

Perhaps what is more frightening about this than the threat itself is that the law enforcers were recorded talking about it in the first place. Assassinations that involve law enforcement agencies do not generally take place without an order coming from much higher up the chain of command. It is rare that the foot soldiers tasked with committing the murder hatch the plot themselves. Simply, the foot soldier have the least to gain and the most to lose.

This is the threat played at the Constitutional Court today:

"Kalau Chandra sampai masuk tahanan, biar kita habisi sekalian." Which loosely translated says: "If Chandra is detained, then let's finish him at the same time." This prompted one of his lawyers, Bambang Widjojanto to request that Chandra be released into protective custody for his own safety. However, the reality is that any request of this kind is in vain. The Constitutional Court's powers do not extend to making an order to force the police to release Chandra into protective custody, at least in the opinion of the Chief Justice of the court, Mahfud MD.

Why post? This is serious! A man's life is at stake, and it is my belief that the more people that know about this development, then the less likely it is to happen. At least this is the hope.

The Plot To Assassinate SBY -- Part II

It would seem that not everyone is buying into the plot to assassinate SBY as allegedly hatched by Noordin M Top and his band of terrorist colleagues. Some are openly cynical about the evidence provided to date, and have no qualms about suggesting the police have been part of a beat up in order to boost the popularity of the chosen one, aka President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY.

The claims by experts in the field are that the idea that there was a concrete plan to assassinate the president are baseless, at least at this point in time. Anak Agung Banyu Perwita of Parahyangan Catholic University has said that the bombings of the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels along with the recent raids on the supposed hideouts of Top and his colleagues is hardly convincing proof of a plot to assassinate. In fact, Perwita went so far as to say that the raids were nothing more than a publicity stunt to boost the president's popularity.

The assassination plot was intimated in the speech that SBY gave in response to the most recent bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. The recent raid in Jatiasih, Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, and the subsequent discovery of 500kgs of explosives is the proof of the assassination pudding. It is being argued that the proximity of Jatiasih to Cikeas, Bogor, and the private residence of SBY is proof that the terrorists were targeting the president for assassination. A long bow by any stretch of the imagination. One would hope that the police have a little bit more than that.

It might be a little dangerous to assume that they do.

The party of Megawati, PDI-P or the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, through one of their members on Commission I, Andreas Pareira, has said that the statements of the National Police Chief, Bambang Hendarso Danuri, are nothing more than assumption and speculation. For Pareira, the idea that Top is now targeting the president signifies a major shift in the manner in which Top's organization is operating. Top and his band of terrorist cohorts have traditionally targeted western interests.

Putting the assassination plots into perspective. Thomas Belfield has a good piece about the attempts on Soekarno throughout his time as leader of the nation.

The Plot To Assassinate SBY...

It seems that the weekend raids on the terrorist organization of Noordin M Top has failed to locate and arrest or kill the main man himself. However, the raids have uncovered what is purportedly an advanced level of planning towards an attempted assassination of the president. Although, I still think the aftermath of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings was poor timing to reveal that there were plots to assassinate him underway, it is interesting, and important, that greater detail of the plans are coming to light of the alleged plots.

The fact that Top is not dead means that the plots to assassinate SBY may still be well-advanced. It is unclear whether this was a solitary cell tasked with this particular assignment or whether Top has multiple cells operating independently of each other and given similar orders. The rationale being if one gets found out there will be others to step into the firing line.

It is surprising that the security detail on the president has been stepped up. Surprising because he is afterall the president and one would figure that the security detail would always be on a heightened level of alertness.

The assassination plot allegedly involves a rather large car bomb and 500kg of explosives. The aim to detonate the bomb close enough to the president that he would be killed. The two most likely targets were the president's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, or the State Palace.

The more likely of these targets would have been the private residence as reports are suggesting that security prior to the public uncovering of the plot was a lot less than optimal. The idea of getting a car or van bomb closer enough to the president in the vicinity of the State Palace would really require some insiders to facilitate the movement of the car or van into a location where the deed could be done.

Apparently, the attack and assassination of SBY would be in retaliation for the executions of the Bali Bombers; Amrozi, Mukhlas, and Samudra, and because SBY runs a pro-western government.

The recent raids do not seem to have killed the possibility of future attacks. However, with a bit of luck the raids will have further disrupted the ability of Top and his band of terrorist followers to commit further attacks, and in essence buy some time for anti-terrorism authorities to capture the man.

The plan is brazen, and the fact that Top believes that he could have done it is indicative of a confidence among Top and his followers that anything is possible for them. Hopefully, this over-confidence will lead to more mistakes and the anti-terrorism authorities will dissolve the network once and for all.

Acceptable Collateral Damage?

It is always easy to watch hostilities from afar and make one's judgments based on some ethical or moral code that is removed from the daily threat of violence and death. However, as I sit back and watch another round of Israeli and Palestinian violence, I wonder what is acceptable collateral damage in this time of sophisticated weapons and "surgical strikes".

I find myself wondering how Israel justifies killing women and children in order to kill a self-proclaimed terrorist. Is this as simple as killing them before they kill you. Is it a case of these children would have grown up to be terrorists and they would have been encouraged by their mothers to be so, therefore the best solution is to wipe them out before such a reality can eventuate?

I also find myself questioning the wisdom of firing rockets, homemade or otherwise, by Hamas into Israel.

The issue here is not one of whether Israel has a right to protect itself, it is not even a question in my mind of proportionality. Ask yourself this question, when are wars ever about proportionality? Your answer should highlight the silliness of the idea of proportional responses. To the victors go the spoils, and the victors are those that are left standing. Simply, the idea of proportional response will lead only to a series of ceasefires and temporary truces that never address the fundamental problems that lead to the hostilities in the first place.

The issue for me is what constitutes acceptable collateral damage. The recent Israeli attack that killed Nizar Rayan is an example of why this is a question that must be answered. There is little doubt that Nizar Rayan is a senior leader of Hamas. There is also little doubt that he advocates violence. It has been reported that he even sent one of his own sons on a suicide mission to kill Israelis. There is also little doubt that Israel classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization.

However, in order to kill Rayan, the Israelis decided the best method was to drop a rather large bomb on his house. This bomb was obviously large as it destroyed 12 surrounding house as well as the targeted house. The collateral damage issue here that I want to look at is not the property but the 18 people killed in addition to Rayan. Among the dead were his four wives, two daughters, and a son. This is what I wonder when I am wondering how to answer the question of acceptable collateral damage.

I wonder whether Israel could have put together covert Mossad teams and assassinate Rayan. This would have averted any unnecessary collateral damage. Perhaps questionable in international law however I would assert that killing innocent men, women, and children is also questionable under international law.

I am neither pro-Israel not pro-Hamas or Palestine. I am pro-peace and I am pro-humanity. I am against the killing of innocent men, women, and children in the furtherance of any cause.

So, I pose this question, "what is acceptable collateral damage in a time of conflict?"

Justice or Injustice?

The murder, and just about everyone agrees that it was a murder, of Munir Said Thalib or more simply Munir, has seen a tortuous pursuit of justice that seems to have been thwarted yet again with the acquittal of the most recent defendant in the case, Muchdi Purwopranjono.

I am looking forward to getting a copy of the judgment and reading for myself the legal reasoning of the judges in dismissing the charges and ordering Purwopranjono's immediate release. The statement that "Muchdi Purwopranjono cannot be proved legally and convincingly to have ordered the murder of Munir," as stated by Soeharto J. (no relation to the former dictator) hardly seems to be sufficient.

The investigators, prosecutors, and courts have failed to convict anyone for ordering the killing and have in the the years since the murder in 2004, on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam, have managed to convict a couple of people for being part of a conspiracy. Interestingly, those convicted (Indra Setiawan, former Head of Garuda, and pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto) of being part of the conspiracy have fingered Purwoprajono as being the person to have ordered the killing.

Purwopranjono had motive, revenge. Purwopranjono had been appointed to head up the Kopassus unit (Indonesian Special Forces), but held the appointment only briefly. He was removed from the appointment after Munir alleged that Purwopranjono had been instrumental in the kidnapping and subsequent disappearances of activists.

This did not hinder Purwopranjono's ability to get himself appointed to the Deputy Head position of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). It is alleged that it is from this position that Purwopranjono orchestrated the assassination of Muir.

In essence, this decision means that as of today no-one has been held accountable for the ordering of the murder and orchestrating the conspiracy. Therefore, it is reasonable to hold the belief that there are still significant problems with the pursuit of justice in Indonesia. It seems that some people are more equal before the law than others and in some cases these people are not even accountable to the law.

It is sad all round, but perhaps it is most sad for Munir's widow, Suciwati, and his children. Who have lost a husband and a father to the murderous excesses of the state without seeing any hint of justice.

I remain the eternal optimist and hence remain confident that one day the people responsible will be held accountable for this assassination. If not, then there is always a belief that "what goes around, comes around". Furthermore, I firmly believe that "bad karma" will revisit those who perpetrate evil when they least expect it.

Censorship

Assassination is the extreme form of censorship.

-- George Bernard Shaw

Samir Qantar -- Hailed A Hero

Samir Qantar (pictured) was Lebanon's longest serving prisoner incarcerated in Israel. Qantar was the biggest beneficiary of a prisoner swap and the exchange of remains that has been recently completed. Samir Qantar was a young 17-year-old when he was sentenced to five life terms for committing triple murder. One of Qantar's victims was a 4-year-old child.

As I have posted previously there is no excuse for the killing of a child. This does not change when the killer is a 17-year-old youth. At 17 you already know the difference between right and wrong and you would know that killing a 4-year-old is wrong.

Qantar has returned home to Aabey, southeast of Beirut, to a hero's welcome. It would seem that Qantar's political passion and love of the struggle has not dwindled after almost 29 years in prison. In fact Qantar remains proud and has no regrets or remorse for his actions and said the following, "I feel enormous joy because I have returned to the ranks of the resistance and to my family." Not missing a beat it seems his first change of clothes was to don a Hezbollah military uniform.

Qantar is being hailed as a hero whenever his name is mentioned, Lebanese are sacrificing lambs in his honour,and people are claiming that "Samir Kantar is the son of all the Lebanese".

It is a strange move on Hezbollah's part to be quite so vocal in claiming victory and Qantar being so vocal in his pride with respect to killing a child. My guess is that Qantar will be killed in a pre-emptive missile attack or some other military strike or assassinated in some other manner.

I watched the film "Munich" recently. I suspect that as most films do some liberties were taken with the story to make it into a movie script. However, even if a smidgeon of it is true then Qantar must be wary of what is coming his way. There will definitely be no peace for Qantar and he will not grow old while he is being stalked by Mossad. Sooner or later the game will be up. He might have in fact been safer in an Israeli prison.

I reiterate, child killers like Qantar are not heroes. It makes no difference whether he committed this crime as a 16, 17, or 30 year old. There is no honour in killing children and the murder of children must not be what the resistance is about!

Jose Ramos-Horta

The assassination attempt against the President of Timor Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, highlights how far the tiny nation has to go before it finds the political and social stability that is so desperately needs to develop a fragile nation and an even more fragile economy. There is no doubt that Timor Leste has the potential to be a very wealthy country as it has a relatively small population of about 1 million people and huge oil and gas reserves that have not been even minimally exploited at this stage.

Yet, the disfunction of the political elite in Timor Leste is not a new phenomenon or an issue that has not flared in the past. It was not even two years ago that major civil unrest flared when the Government of Mari Alkatiri was forced out. However, many observers had looked at the relatively peaceful Presidential and Parliamentary elections that followed and thought the worst was behind the young country. In contrast, long-term observers recognized that the answers were not that simple and that long-standing tensions simmered beneath the surface.

The arrest and subsequent escape of rogue army man Alfredo Reinado should have been seen as a 'matter of time', perhaps even fait accompli, that more violence was going to flare in the future. Reinado was a cult hero and it is not surprising he sort to enhance this reputation by participating directly in the assassination attempts. However, this exhibition in ego has led directly to his death, as he was allegedly killed in the gun battle that was the assassination attempt. He had always claimed he would fight to the death and his prediction in this regard has come true.

There will need to be plenty of political soul searching in the aftermath and a re-commitment to the ideal of just nation building. Many of the political problems afflicting Timor Leste are exacerbated by the social inequlaity throughout the community and the resentment that this large-scale disenfranchisement breeds. Timor Leste needs to address these issues of social inequality soon and address them comprehensively if it ever intends to overcome and heal the fractures that rack the community.

Those that have returned from exile to a free and democratic Timor Leste must not forget the suffering of their brothers and sisters who were never afforded that chance to get into exile and suffered mercilessly at the hands of a brutal Indonesian military regime.

To Ramos-Horta. The President remains in an induced coma and is expected to undergo further surgery in Darwin later today. On a bright note, the doctors expect him to make a full recovery. This should not though diminish the seriousness of his wounds and the fact that he remains in critical condition.

The most serious of the wounds is apparently a gun shot wound to the back that has clipped a lung and exited through his chest. I guess his more than 25 years of fighting for recognition for Timor has hardened him and he is not going to fold and leave now. Any body that gets 16 units of blood transfused into them (some 8 litres) and lives to tell the tale has gotta be a tough old bastard!

Viva Democracy, Viva Timor!