Priest admits to police he helped hide three wanted activists

A Jesuit priest admitted to police yesterday that he had helped to hide three activists wanted by the Government for allegedly inciting riots last month.

Father Ignatius Sandyawan Sumardi, who was interrogated at Jakarta's police headquarters for three hours, is the latest in a string of dissidents and opposition figures to face questioning over the unrest.

The priest admitted helping the trio from the outlawed People's Democratic Party (PRD), including the group's chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko, to take refuge at his brother's house in Bekasi, east of Jakarta.

He was summoned for questioning as a suspect on four charges under the criminal code, including insulting the President, expressing enmity towards the Government and harbouring criminals.

If convicted on all four charges, he could face a maximum jail term of seven years.

A director of the Legal Aid Foundation, Luhut Pangaribuan, accompanied the embattled priest during the interrogation session. He said Father Sumardi, who faces a second round of questioning tomorrow, had told police that Mr Sudjatmiko and his companions had come to him fearing for their lives.

He said they had decided to hide after the military issued an order to shoot rioters on sight and began blaming the PRD for the unrest.