The wRap Indonesia: Jan. 22, 2015

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The latest news on the crashed AirAsia flight and the latest twist in the growing controversy surrounding the antigraft agency’s naming of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as a suspect lead our wrap of stories today.

1. More bodies found as divers near AirAsia fuselage

Divers evacuated several more bodies on Thursday, January 22, as they neared the fuselage of the crashed AirAsia jet, more than a week after it was located. “There are several bodies inside the fuselage,” Rear Admiral Widodo told reporters aboard the KRI Banda Aceh ship in the waters of Karimata, Central Kalimantan, according to Detik.com. AFP reported that Indonesian divers found 5 bodies still belted into their seats near the fuselage. “Our divers found five bodies buried in mud, close to the plane fuselage. They were still belted to their seats,” S.B. Supriyadi, a rescue agency official coordinating the search, told AFP. “We believe they spilled out of the fuselage, which is 50 to 100 metres (160 to 330 feet) away,” he said. Read the full story on Rappler.com.

2. PDI-P strikes back, accuses KPK chairman of ‘playing with fire’

Hasto PDI-P konferensi pers “Sepak Terjang Abraham Samad di Pilpres 2014”. selengkapnya: http://t.co/lI7sTPezAd pic.twitter.com/woPxeJIAoD

— Rappler Indonesia (@RapplerID) January 22, 2015

In a surprise press conference on Thursday morning, leaders of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s party, accused Abraham Samad, the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), of politicking and violating the commission’s code of ethics. They accused Samad of lobbying PDI-P leaders in order to be named Jokowi’s vice president, and filed a complaint against him with the KPK. The development comes amid heightening tensions between the KPK and the National Police, after the antigraft agency named police chief nominee Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a corruption suspect. Budi on Wednesday also reported Samad to the Attorney General’s Office for abuse of power. Read the full story in Bahasa Indonesia on Rappler. 

3. Driver in fatal Jakarta crash that killed 4 positive for drug use

The driver of the Mitsubishi Outlander that figured in a fatal crash on Tuesday, January 20, has tested positive for the psychedelic drug LSD, police announced Thursday. Police said Christopher Daniel Sjarief, 23, was also intoxicated on Tuesday night when he hit two motorcyclists in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, killing one instantly. He then tried to flee the scene and ended up hitting a Toyota Avanza and 5 more motorcycles. A total of 4 people were killed and 4 more taken to the hospital with injuries. Read the full story in Bahasa Indonesia on Rappler. 

4. Civil servant in Makassar in jail after after comments against district head on LINE

Fadhli Rahim, a 33-year-old civil servant in Gowa, Makassar, has been in jail since November 2014 facing charges of online defamation after comments he made against Gowa district head Ichsan Yasin Limpo in a group chat with high school classmates on the messaging platform LINE. Fadhli wrote that he heard from investors that deals were not pushing through because of cuts demanded by the district head, but unfortunately one of the members of the chat group reported him to Ichsan. Fadhli is the latest Indonesian to be jailed under the controversial 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, which criminalizes online defamation and imposes a maximum penalty of up to 6 years in jail and a fine of not more than IDR1 billion ($82,000). Read the full story in Bahasa Indonesia on Rappler. 

5. Indonesia bans sale of alcohol in minimarkets

Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel has issued a ministerial regulation prohibiting the sale of “Class A” alcoholic beverages in minimarkets, which refers to those with less than 5% alcohol content such as beer. These can now only be sold by supermarkets and hypermarkets. Those with higher alcohol content have always been banned from minimarkets, but Indonesia’s urban youth have lately made a habit of drinking beer and hanging out at minimarkets like 7-Eleven. The regulation gives minimarkets 3 months to April 16 to clear the alcoholic beverages from their sales racks. The regulation has, expectedly, received criticisms from retailers, but some cities outside Jakarta, like Bekasi, already have the same rule in place. Read the full story from Kompas.com. —Rappler.com