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Indonesia celebrates Tommy arrest |
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian police say they have begun to question the fugitive son of former President Suharto following his dramatic arrest Wednesday after more than a year on the run.
Celebrating their success in capturing Tommy Suharto, the 24 officers who led the hunt for Indonesia's most wanted man all received promotions Thursday.
However, analysts say much more needs to be done to rebuild the tattered reputation of the police after an often farcical manhunt.
Todung Mulya Lubis, a noted lawyer and director of the Jakarta Lawyers Club said the case against Tommy would be "a test for the police and their integrity, as well as for the state prosecutors and the court".
Tommy went into hiding in early November last year after he was found guilty of involvement in an $11 million land scam and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
The corruption sentence was later overturned but Tommy remains a suspect in the murder of the judge who convicted him and of involvement in a series of bombings in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
He is also wanted on charges related to the illegal possession of firearms.
Police officials say that Tommy spent his first night in custody like any other suspect and was not given any special treatment.
"Tommy was detained, alone in cell number B5 without any additional facilities," Adang Rochjana, Jakarta's chief detective, told reporters.
"He slept on a thin mattress," he added.
"He's been calm although a little stressed which is normal after an arrest. Doctors have checked him and thought he was physically healthy."
The family of former president Suharto has been accused of amassing billions of dollars in illegal funds during his three decades in power.
However, Tommy is the only member of the former first family to have been convicted of corruption.
The Indonesian language Kompas newspaper quoted the policeman who first confronted Tommy as saying he was taken completely by surprise when his house in the southern outskirts of Jakarta was raided.
"I checked out a room on the first floor. I saw someone sleeping on the bed and drew my gun," Kompas quoted detective Danang as saying.
He said he made sure the suspect was Tommy before shouting: "Wake up, brother! I am a policeman, do not resist!"
Although Tommy's arrest has been broadly welcomed by the Indonesian media, several observers have been puzzled at the hospitable treatment police have given to the suspect once branded as the country's most dangerous man.
On his arrival at Jakarta police headquarters, the city's police chief, Sofjan Jacoeb, hugged Tommy who then sat next to him during a press conference with no handcuffs.
However police spokesman Anton Bachrul Alam denied that Tommy had received any special treatment.
"We treat all suspects and detainees the same," he told CNN. "If he is not brutal, why should we handcuff him? We respect human rights."
-- Yenni Kwok in Jakarta contributed to this report
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