Father of cyanide coffee victim says woman must 'be killed'
The father of a woman who was murdered with cyanide-laced coffee says his daughter's killer should be executed despite the Indonesian President saying he will intervene if she is proven guilty.
Australian resident Jessica Wongso will face a Jakarta court on Wednesday charged for the premeditated murder of her friend Mirna Salihin.
Ms Salihin, 27, died after drinking a Vietnamese iced coffee ordered by her friend from a local cafe that police say was laced with cyanide.
The victim's father, Dermawan Salihin said yesterday that "everybody in Indonesia is watching this" therefore should Ms Wongso be found guilty she should be "killed" as a warning to copycats.
“If this girl manages to get away then the same thing can happen to other people. Somebody can just poison another person and get away with it,” the Jakarta businessman told The Australian.
“This girl has to be killed as an example so nobody else follows what she has done. Everybody in Indonesia is watching this.”
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said he will will intervene if the Australian resident is charged with murder and sentenced to death.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Indonesian Law Minister Yasonna Laoly say they will guarantee that Ms Wongso won't receive the death penalty because of the Australian Federal Police's co-operation in the case.
"As a state we have to respect the international agreement," Mr Laoly said honouring the agreement.
The revelation comes as the Central Jakarta District Court previously said there is no binding agreement to stop Ms Wongso receiving the death sentence.
Ms Salihin and Ms Wongso studied together at Billy Blue College of Design in Ultimo, Sydney.
The pair graduated in 2008 and Ms Wongso stayed in Sydney to work and local police say the two grew apart from here.
Before her death, Ms Salihin, had married Arief Soemarko.
Ms Wongso did not attend the wedding and it’s alleged she was driven to murder by "revenge and jealousy".
On January 6, police say CCTV captured Ms Wongso handling the ice coffee before Ms Salihin arrived.
After just one sip of the Olivier Grant Café's 'Vietnamese coffee,' Ms Salihin began foaming at the mouth and died on her way to hospital.
Ms Wongso was arrested on January 30, and has denied one count of pre-meditated murder and since vowed to clear her name.
Potassium cyanide is a cheap and readily available available in Indonesia that is most commonly used in gold-mining.
News break – June 15
