RI Embassy set to file civil law suit against Malaysia over Donald case

Kuala Lumpur, NU Online
The Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur was set to file a civil lawsuit with a Malaysian court against four policemen of that country for beating and kicking Indonesian karate referee Donald Peter Luther Kolopita.

"We are still waiting for Donald’s readiness to travel between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur," Head of the protection and service task force at the embassy Tatang B Tazak said here on Friday.<>

According to him, the embassy has prepared the evidence and a lawyer, while awaiting Donald’s decision on his readiness.

In the meantime, the relevant criminal law suit was still withheld at the Malaysian prosecution office as it was still waiting for a doctor’s medical report. Thus, the criminal law suit has yet to reach the court.

Donald, head of the Indonesian karate team, was beaten and kicked by four Malaysian policemen on August 24, 2007.

The incident took place when he was on his way back to his hotel after attending a technical meeting of the Asian karate referees at Alison Kelana Hotel in the Nilai district, Malaysia, in the wee hours of that day.

Because no taxi was in sight, he decided to walk to his hotel, but on the way about 60 meters from Alison Kelana hotel four security officers who suspected that he was an illegal visitor, approached him. The four did not show their IDs to Kolopita, as an international referee with a high skill of the karate martial art resisting them.

Realizing they were no match for Kolopita in fighting skill, the four men eventually produced their IDs. Realizing then that they were policemen but in plain clothes, Kolopita stopped resisting, but the police officers snapped handcuffs on his wrists and beat him up.

Kolopita was later brought to a hospital for the pain and injuries he suffered from the beatings.

As reported by Antara news agency, following the brutal beating of Donald, Indonesia withdrew from the Asian karate championship held in Negeri Sembilan state of Malaysia.

The beating had also caused some tension in the relations between the two countries as apparent in the many street rallies in many parts of Indonesia in protest of Malaysia’s awkward attitude in responding to the case. (dar)