Faith based network on West Papua - Hundreds of people welcome anti-graft chief in Timika

Hundreds of people welcome anti-graft chief in Timika

The Jakarta Post, Timika

Markus Makur

Hundreds of people swarmed the usually quiet Mose Kilangin international airport in Timika, Papua, to greet Antasari Azhar, the Corruption Eraducation Commission (KPK) chair, but they failed to see him.

Antara news agency reported that Antasari was whisked to a waiting car after disembarking from the Garuda airplane that had brought him from Jayapura, Papua's provincial capital. The car took him straight to a hotel in the town.

"We will ask the KPK chair to meet with public figures and all other elements of Mimika society to hear directly their demands that the KPK put all corrupt suspects on trial," said Wilhelmus R. Dekme, a local youth leader who had come to greet Antasari.

Mimika Legislative Council chair Yoseph Yopi Kilangin noted that Antasari's visit to Timika was timely since Mimika was a "region full of corruption."

"We've got many reports of corruption, and KPK needs to follow them up," he told The Jakarta Post.

Hundreds of people welcome anti-graft chief in Timika (12 Nov 2008)