Police prepare to arrest Tommy Suharto

Tommy Suharto claims he could be killed in jail

Indonesian authorities have begun an operation to arrest the youngest son of former President Suharto after he missed a deadline to surrender himself.

They say they know where he is and are prepared to use force to put him in jail.

Until midnight Tommy was intending to surrender, but he got a call threatening his life and he felt afraid

Suharto's lawyer Bob Nasution

"Tommy" Mandala Putra Suharto, 38, had been given until midnight local time (1700 GMT Monday) to hand himself in, following a conviction for corruption more than six weeks ago.

The attorney-general, Marzuki Darusman, told the BBC that the police, who are set to search the Suharto houses in Jakarta, have the authority to break any house down.

But lawyers acting for Mr Suharto said he would not surrender unless his safety in prison could be guaranteed, saying he had received a call telling him he would be killed in jail.

Fears of attack

Lawyer Nudirman Munir told the BBC that his client might be attacked or sexually assaulted in jail. He said his family wanted guarantees of 24-hour security.

Police tried to arrest Tommy Suharto on Friday

The attorney-general dismissed this, saying the prison authorities guaranteed the safety of all inmates.

BBC's Jakarta correspondent Richard Galpin says the process to get the former playboy into jail is becoming a crisis for the government.

He says the government has to ensure Mr Suharto serves his 18-month sentence to maintain its credibility.

Hiding

Mr Darusman said he believed Tommy was hiding inside his own home in central Jakarta or his father's house close by.

His lawyers have said they no longer know the whereabouts of Mr Suharto, and that their only contact with him is by mobile phone.

The millionaire playboy had been due to appear before state prosecutors in the capital Jakarta on Monday morning.

Former President Suharto avoided charges on grounds of ill health

But his lawyers said they had received only a photocopy of the presidential decree rejecting a clemency plea and that they required the proper paperwork to hand him over.

The head of the South Jakarta prosecutor's office, Antasari Azhar, said they would now co-ordinate with the security authorities to jail Mr Suharto.

Disappeared

Tommy Suharto was sentenced to 18 months in prison, after being convicted on 22 September of being involved in a land scam that cost the government $11m.

President Abdurrahman Wahid officially rejected his appeal for clemency five days ago.

Last Friday, police went to Tommy's house in central Jakarta to arrest him, but he had disappeared.

Tommy is the first member of the Suharto family to be convicted for corruption.

Our correspondent says his imprisonment is regarded as vital to Mr Wahid's campaign to clean up endemic corruption that flourished during Mr Suharto's 32-year rule.