The following is a TOC translation of an article on Detik News. We welcome any clarification if the translation is not accurate.
The Verification Team in the case of the death of David Widjaja, an Indonesian undergraduate who died in Nanyang Technology University (NTU) of Singapore has established that David had been killed, rather than committed suicide.
The leader of the Verification Team, Iwan Piliang, announced this at the press conference held at Restoran Munik, Jl Matraman Raya, Jakarta Timur, on Monday (13 April 2009). David’s father, Hartono Widjaja, and his wife was present, along with his brother William Hartono.
According to Iwan, the team has done a reconstruction of the events surrounding David’s death. From the reconstruction, the team is confident that David’s death was not due to suicide as alleged by NTU. The autopsy that David’s family received indicated 36 gaping wounds, of which 14 were from stab wounds.
“In general, the injury is at the hands. The rest were bruises, including the neck region and internally,” Iwan explained.
The team, along with the family and correspondent, have also visited Singapore. The team had wanted to meet with the NTU officials, but were not entertained. A similar request to meet Professor Chan Kap
Luck, who was reported to have been wounded by David before he died, was also declined.
Meanwhile, the leader of Komnas Anak, Seto Mulyadi, and Bung Tomo of Bambang Sulistomo also voiced their support for a thorough investigation to provide satisfactory closure to this case. According
to Seto Mulyadi, David was an Indonesian asset whose efforts in winning the Mathematics Olympiad should be appreciated by the government.
“The Education and National Ministers should have given the family legal help, including financing for a lawyer. But nobody has bothered so far; POLRI (Indonesian Police), Depdiknas (Education Ministry) and
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should be actively involved and aiding the family, since it concerns the sovereignty of the country,” he added.
Original article:
Jakarta - Tim Verifikasi Kasus Kematian David Widjaja, mahasiswa RI yang tewas Nanyang Technology University (NTU), Singapura meyakini David dibunuh bukan bunuh diri.Dari hasil otopsi, di tubuh David ditemukan 36 luka tusukan.
Demikian disampaikan Ketua Tim Verifikasi Kasus Kematian David, Iwan Piliang, dalam jumpa persnya di Restoran Munik, Jl Matraman Raya, Jakarta Timur, Senin (13/4/2009). Orang tua David, Hartono Widjaja dan istri, serta kakaknya, Wiliam Hartono ikut hadir dalam jumpa pers tersebut.
Menurut Iwan, tim verifikasi ini sudah melakukan rekonstruksi kematian David. Hasil rekonstruksi, tim meyakini David tewas dibunuh bukan bunuh diri seperti dinyatakan oleh NTU. Dari hasil otopsi yang diterima keluarga, di tubuh David terdapat 36 tusukan, 14 di antaranya luka oleh pisau.
“Umumnya luka berada di bagian tangan. Sisanya, luka memar, termasuk di bagian leher dan luka dalam,” jelas Iwan
Tim bersama keluarga dan wartawan juga bertandang ke Singapura. Kunjungan tim ini untuk bertemu dengan pihak NTU, namun tidak diberi waktu. Penolakan tidak hanya oleh pihak NTU, tapi juga dari Profesor Chan Kap Luk. profesor yang diberitakan ditusuk oleh David sebelum mahasiswa ini meninggal.
Sementara itu, dukungan atas pengungkapan kasus tewasnya David Hartono ini juga mendapatkan dukungan dari Ketua Komnas Anak, Seto Mulyadi dan putra pahlawan Bung Tomo, Bambang Sulistomo. Kak Seto, panggilan akrab Seto Mulyadi menyatakan, David yang pernah menjadi juara Olimpiade Matematika merupakan aset bangsa Indonesia, seharusnya usahanya dihargai pemerintah.
“Sudah seharusnya Menteri Pendidikan dan Nasional turun tangan dan memberikan bantuan hukum, termasuk membantu pendanaan lawyer. Tapi ini semua pihak terkesan lepas tangan, Polri, Depdiknas dan Presiden SBY harus turun tangan, karena ini menjadi persoalan bangsa,” imbuhnya.
Visit TOC Facebook for “Interviewing David Widjaja’s family”.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
I’m speechless….Indonesians sure have vivid imaginations. Anyone remembered when the Silk Air plane crashed in Indonesia several years back? When interviewed, the villagers near the crash site actually said they saw survivors walking in the swamps….Amazing….
Im not so sure…anyway it’s more gripping than CSI…in any case they have the right to find out more!
Trust Sing authorities! I told Mindef that there were dengue fever larvae were breeding in one of their safe houses in Rochester Park and the NEA went there and confirmed it. Mindef said that it does not have any safe houses in this locality and that its in-house health inspection team is first class.
A bag of lies. I used to stay in this safe house with the members of my family.
It is not a safe house anymore and that was only quite recent.
It is likely Mindef quickly gave it up because they could not manage it properly and the discovery that there was dengue larvae in this particular safe house made Mindef give up this one and three to five other of its safe houses in this colonial style estate.
Mindef is also in a state of denial on other matters and the list goes on.
I told Mindef that some of its officers were very dirty and that when they stayed in a safe house it was in a filthy and unhygienic situation. I argued that dirty officers would kill the humble soldiers, the front line riflemen, on the grounds that in the equatorial belt where we are located and likely to fight in, there are all kinds of infectious diseases.
Their answer is that they have a very good health team.
If they have then their safe houses would be squeaky clean.
If this were true, then, the delay in the Police findings can be understandable.
Let us hope that it is not the case otherwise worst fears may come true (eg, prof accidentally stabbed David back in self defence ?…..many more imponderables…)
I have faith in the Authorities doing the investigations and look forward to satisfactory closure for all soon. They are good as several other countries including Malaysia had enlisted help from Singapore.
Wow, 14 stab wounds and he can still walk out of the office. That’s pretty amazing.
DK.
Before you comment, please get the news right!, David W did not walk, he was fleeing… and he fell from the roof of the passage link way (blood was stained on the roof in photo). If he can walk why not use the stairs.
Now, another question for you.. How many wounds did the Prof sustain??.
Try comparing the inflicted wounds both have??
fungzi89
This is serious.
Maybe the Singaporean authorities have the right to reply before we jump to conclusion.
Kudos to the TOC team for carrying out this report first before the ST does!
Good job to Andrew and all.
hmm……….very confusing.
by right if at the end of the day a coroner judgement should be final?
so when the judgement is out, can a appeal be done to the judgegment?
or anyone still can sue other people after the judgement?
any lawyer here to comment?
my grandmother die few years ago after surgery in hospital.
till today i am not sure if we have a right to sue the doctor or hospital.
and even of we have the right, we will not have the money to sue also.
it is good to be very rich.
Well done everyone at TOC!
You have proven your value.
Why this blog is of value to singapore.
Your initiative in the video interview with the victim’s family is something rare in singapore. I mean I have not seen such interviews on MSM TV/Radio/press.
Well, if there is but i missed it, pls correct me also.
but what happens if your reporters join MSM later?
Oh, i mean, like this good for MSM also waht.
This is quality reporting by TOC.
Yes, shocking turn of event…
He probably lost too much blood and fainted resulting in him falling from the roof? If that is the case definitely not a suicide.
fungzi89: After 14 stab wounds, if a person can flee/run/walk/get out of the office, its amazing. (at least in my opinion) I’ll most likely be lying on the floor motionless after 14 stab wounds.
If there is indeed 14 stab wounds like what the team said, would it also be correct to say that there is a foul play? And if so, why hasn’t the prof been called in for questioning?
Go for it… Every life is precious.
Hopefully, the return of the truth will appease the spirit and prevent more of such horrible happenings.
Elfred.
dk – have to agree with you. Amazing…!
I just think it’s a big pity the body is already cremated… I do think there is more than meets the eye but I’m just wondering why the family decided to cremate it if they maybe suspected that all was not right? I would put it down to shock but well, who knows?
In any case, if there ARE 14 stab wounds then it’s really quite suspicious. If David was the attacker, how would he get the wounds? If it was the professor acting in self-defense, how did he get the knife from David and manage to stab him (David) so many times?
If there are 14 stab wounds and the police can still claim it’s suicide, I’ll be speechless… Also agree with dk, I was just wondering why the professor hasn’t been questioned, and why is there “no sound” from him at all? Usually the media will pounce on such stuff and ask him to talk about it right?
Where is the knife now ? Did the knife belong to the Prof. or david’s? More than 1 knife ?
How did David get the 14 stab wounds and why ? I smell a rotten fish and the key to these answers lie with that person who is still alive !!!! there are many questions unanswered !!!!!
“You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances. I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don’t think for one second that you can come down here, flash your badge, and make me nervous.”
Bah. The Indons naturally want to show David as the victim (just as our media wants to show the Prof as the victim). The prof holds the key to the truth. But he is clutching it close to his chest probably as the case is still open.
#18 Kelvin Tan
Good one!
“You can’t handle the truth!”
What appears to be a student under tremendous stress, stabbed his professor and commit suicide turns out to be otherwise? As a concerned citizen, I hope the police will step out to explain and not let the Indon media dramatise it.
I remember watching Taiwan series always show that the cunning, elite wealthy people who murder people then quickly injure himself to prove his innocence and to show that innocent lesser mortal attack him. Strange is the loophole that he get injury is actally a single injury whereas the so-called attacker sustain even more dubious injuries. The elite person stab himself to make his own story convincing afterall he is elite? He should have stab himself in more places if he thinking out of box. Oppp…. It must be very painful to stab himself, but it is still better to convict of murder. The murderer in the series than portray as victim in the eyes of status and kangaroo law, and the innocent as the murderer. Then “victim” then accuse the “murderer”‘s family of harassment when the family want to find out more.
Whatever, look like the public act law come in handy as it can be used to MOVE-ON on the families of the victim so prevent further investigation of such “mysterious” case.
But then this case is not new. In the silkair crash, isn’t the blame fall on the pilot who the mainstream media happily portray him in suicide mode ?
How come none of you here question the trustworthiness of the Indonesian team report? You all really believe that there is 14 stab wounds and the police still close one eye? Wake up leh. Not possible lah.
Please lah, it is always typical of establishment to move on quickly and secretively if there are more than meet the eyes, not that we didn’t know.
Hmmm, wonder what is the main headline in tomorrow Strait Times ? That Singaporean must wash his hand before handling food ?
If the establishment want to cover up this case, they would be smart enough to send a fake report which doesn’t mention anything about the stab wounds on the body.
“they would be smart enough to send a fake report which doesn’t mention anything about the stab wounds on the body.”
Are they so stupid to do that when you have eye witness to it ? The students, the staf etc and the police still want to be smart to avoid mentioning stab wounds then ?
Which eye witness saw him with 14 stab wounds? Why don’t they step forward and clarify the matter? If there are 14 stab wounds, I would call that a murder. The so called eye witness should lodge a police report.
maybe they should comb the professor’s office for semen samples, if they haven’t done so by now
“Which eye witness saw him with 14 stab wounds? Why don’t they step forward and clarify the matter? If there are 14 stab wounds, I would call that a murder. The so called eye witness should lodge a police report.”
You make me laugh. The question you should ask is
“Are you confident that the police and judge are partial when they just take order from top (whoever he is) and there is no critical question ask and answer ?” Since when the police give you proper answer especially when it relate to elite at hand ?
“The autopsy that David’s family received indicated 36 gaping wounds, of which 14 were from stab wounds.”
You are funny, if indeed it is false then sue the newspaper . Why would someone fake autopsy record if the record can even be put publicly by the family to verify the wound’s authenticity ?
LOL, remember Dr Allan Ooi? What happen when the letter revealed about the suicide ? Report about suicide can even speculate and fake up by our elite and you can even trust the police and kangaroos anymore ?
A kangaroo always remain a kangaroo especially when they give themselve absolute pwr. The black become white.
Did you read the news correctly? It is said clearly, that those 36 are from his autopsy report performed by Singapore mortuary.
I quote again here,
From the reconstruction, the team is confident that David’s death was not due to suicide as alleged by NTU. The autopsy that David’s family received indicated 36 gaping wounds, of which 14 were from stab wounds.
I repeat again:
The autopsy that David’s family received indicated 36 gaping wounds, of which 14 were from stab wounds.
#17: The only found knife is found in prof’s trail, not on david’s fleeing trail.
@editor: Tangan means arm, not necessarily hands, but more implied at a whole arm. Hands = telapak tangan.
#23: I don’t think SPF close their eye, but they wanted to be paid to run the investigation. And the family didn’t have just that. So some indonesian people opened a bank account to help the family fund the lawyer to start the SPF investigation.
Remember how our national papers were spreading false rumours about Dr. Allan Ooi before, and even after they had the suicide note from him?
I think we should take whatever they say with a large pinch of salt. The more they claim it’s suicide (when there’s no proof), the more you should be wary. and the fact that the professor has not said a single thing makes it so very suspicious. Didn’t he leave the hospital one day after being admitted?
There should be a press conference headed by NTU head together with Professor Chan n the investigating officer of the case to clarify the matter.
The Indonesian media is well known to be sensationalistic. I will rather trust the organisation that now heads the Interpol. In other words, SPF.
Hi 36,
The cops involved in the investigation n should give preliminary findings to the parents esp it hurt the two parties. Keeping quiet over the matter will make speculation worse.
must be a painful death… RIP
You think the team of pathologists would not have taken pictures of the body? Guesswork only? C’mon lah.
at least not a class massacre like in the usa. ..
#36: Indonesian media is not sensationalistic. At least, we are not like singapore media that reported the boy with 14 stabs on his body as the murderer, and the one with light injury as the victim.
Those injuries at arms, I suspect that the prof tried to stab him that many times, and david tried to block the knife with his arm, but some got through to his body.
@Siong :
1. Indonesia got many Medias. Some locals media are sensational but not for the National Media.
2. You want to rely your trust on SPF while they alone were not able to take care of Mas Selamat??? Ask Why???
I suspect that the prof tried to stab him that many times,
wahaha, ntu prof can do this kind of thing, maybe my boss also get mental one day
Mas Selemat is a huge mistake of the Home Team, this I admit. But if SPF is corrupted and unreliable, then I don’t understand why would police forces around the world voted for a Singaporean poice chief to head the Interpol. Why did Perc recently rank Singapore as the least corrupt country? There is flaws in the government I understand, but there can never be a perfect system. I recognise the flaws but I also recognise how the Home Team has kept Singapore a safe country.
In anycase, the SPF debunked one of the reports from the Jarkarta Post last week.
To Xiong: One of the top 5 criminal lawyers in Singapore (if I mentioned even initials, you would know) said that Interpol can be bribed and that fact is well-known. Well, maybe not to you…
#33 Rudy) Singapore police are not corrupted. We don’t need the families to pay us dirty money to do work. If there is anything suspicious, our police will investigate on it.
We are not corrupted like the Indonesia police.
To Xiong: What safe place? 3 dead from same lab in NTU over… what, 2 weeks?… If you Singaporeans see many Indonesian moms suddenly pack Singapore, it is because they are worry of their own kids’ safety. Seriously, my relative flew there to accompany her son after this case and she said many of her friends did the same. Yes, they thought Singapore was safe too.
I actually believe that Singapore still has good control over the country. That is why if cases do not get solved quickly, I tend to think there is something fishy. Come on, the country is so small, you dont have to be so smart to try to find one escapee. That is why I believe Mat Selamet is dead.
To Sonny: I agree with you. That is why it puzzles me why SPF is sooooo slow on this case. You can ask any other country, how long does it take to do autopsy and make a report.
To Yan: Of the 3 dead, 1 is commit suicide and the other one is road accident. And the 3rd one is being disputed in this blog. (Might be commit suicide, might be murder. We cannot be sure yet)
So why would that make Singapore unsafe? Don’t sensationalize the whole issue.