A Very Strange Manhunt.(Tommy Suharto)(Brief Article)

Where in the world is Tommy Suharto? Two months ago the fun-loving, youngest son of former dictator Suharto was supposed to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence. He was convicted of a land scam in which his company swapped worthless swampland for prime real estate owned by the government. The deal caused the state to lose $11.2 million. But instead of going to jail, Tommy , 38, went on the lam, and Indonesia's hapless police have been unable--or unwilling-- to track him down. The case is considered crucial for President Abdurrahman Wahid's government as it attempts to crack down on the graft and cronyism that characterized Suharto's rule, and still plagues the country.

Government officials say that apprehending Tommy remains a top priority. But most Indonesians are skeptical that he'll ever see the inside of a prison cell. The reason: he's a powerful businessman who still has many of his father's connections. Jusuf Wanandi, a leading political analyst, said authorities do not really want to arrest Tommy and are just going through the motions. "They have a lackadaisical attitude, and a lot of officials in the attorney general's office are [loyalists] from the Suharto period," he told NEWSWEEK.

Tommy went into hiding on Nov. 3. A so-called nationwide manhunt ensued, but critics say it's been at best a halfhearted effort. Authorities have concentrated their efforts on repeated "surprise" searches of the Suharto family homes in Jakarta's leafy Menteng district. One day police and local officials even walked into Suharto's bedroom as the ailing ex-president was taking a nap. "We even searched for Tommy in the kitchen and in the cupboard," said Dedi Sudarmadi, the neighborhood's community leader. Radar equipment was deployed to find a bunker rumored to have been built under the ex-president's house. Police found nothing. The most recognizable face ...