Suharto's Son Denies Link to Bombings

J A K A R T A, Indonesia, Sept. 16 -- Tommy Suharto, the multimillionaireson of Indonesia’s ex-dictator, denied any link today to a spateof deadly bombings, despite demands by the nation’s president thathe be arrested.

“I am very disappointed with Gus Dur’s statement,” Tommy Suharto toldreporters after being questioned for two hours at Jakarta’s policeheadquarters. He was referring to President Abdurrahman Wahid, whois widely known by his nickname, Gus Dur.

On Friday, Wahid announced that he had ordered police to arrestTommy Suharto. Wahid said he wanted to prevent more bomb attacks and hadenough evidence against Tommy and another suspect, a Muslim leader,to justify arrest.

Released From Custody But detectives, saying they lacked the evidence necessary toproceed with the investigation, let Tommy Suharto go free.

“Tommy was questioned in order to clarify the president’slatest statement,” said Jakarta detective chief Col. HariMontolalu. “We called him and he voluntarily came to our office.”

Earlier this week, a car bomb and a subsequent fire killed 15people in an underground garage at the Jakarta Stock Exchange. Theattack was the deadliest in a series to rock the city of 11 millionpeople in recent months.

Many speculate the blasts were the work of supporters ofSuharto, who ruled Indonesian for three decades with an iron fistbut is now facing trial for massive corruption.

Three of the blasts, including Wednesday’s, have coincided withmajor developments in the case against Suharto, who is accused ofstealing at least $583 million in government money to bankrollbusinesses controlled by his cronies and children—includingTommy.

Suharto has refused to attend his own trial on the grounds offailing health. He has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers havealso denied that he is in anyway linked to the bombings.

The blasts, along with ethnic and separatist bloodshed elsewherein the Indonesian archipelago, have weakened Wahid’s ability togovern the world’s fourth most populous nation.