Severely burned boy begs police not to hunt his father (Banda Aceh, Indonesia)

If one thing is clear it is this: the family of dad MAHYEDDIN ABUBAKAR is deathly afraid of him--and for good reason. Any father who sets his 12-year-old son on fire for (allegedly) withholding money is one freaking sick puppy.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/severely-burned-boy-begs-police-not-to-hunt-his-father/384959

July 09, 2010
Nurdin Hasan

Severely Burned Boy Begs Police Not to Hunt His Father

Banda Aceh. Muhammad Amrul, 12, lay stiffly on a bed. His entire body bandaged with the exception of a portion of his face, he continually whimpered in a low voice.

He was allegedly set on fire on Monday by his father, Mahyeddin Abubakar, for keeping Rp 20,000 ($2.20) from the sale of fish his father had caught in Ujong Blang village, Lhokseumawe, Aceh.

“When he was asked by his father how much money they had made from the sale of fish, Amrul said Rp 80,000. His father brought him to the market that bought the fish. The buyer told Mahyeddin that he had handed Rp 100,000 to Amrul,” Nurlaela, Amrul’s mother, told the Jakarta Globe as she sat by her son’s bedside at the Zainoel Abidin General Hospital in Banda Aceh.

“Maybe his father was angry and embarrassed that his son had lied to him. He then poured oil on Amrul and set him on fire. Amrul has been his father’s favorite. Whatever he asked for, his father would give him,” she said.

When asked if she had any clue why her son would lie, she said she believed her son wanted to buy food while watching football with his friends.

“Amrul loves the World Cup. Every evening, he plays ball near the beach, with other kids.”

Amrul was being treated for third-degree burns in an isolated ward. He was asleep most the time, but when he did wake, he would ask: “When is dad going to visit me?” Nurlaela replied: “Later, dad will come. Now he has to earn a livelihood for us.”

Police have not been able to find Mahyeddin since the incident. Banda Sakti Police subprecinct chief Adj. Comr. Adi Sofyan said they were still trying to track him down.

“We have interrogated two witnesses who actually saw the incident,” Adi said, adding that Mahyeddin was now on the Banda Aceh Police’s most-wanted list. He could face 10 years in prison for the attack.

Amrul, however, told police that he did not agree with their plans.

“Do not arrest my father. If you arrest him, I will follow him, wherever he goes,” Amrul said in a halting voice, while repeatedly demanding to know why his father had not come to visit him. A mother of six children, Nurlaela added that she too did not want her husband to be prosecuted.

She said that before the incident, Mahyeddin had never laid a hand on Amrul. “All I ask for is that he is not shot dead. I do not want my children to be orphans,” she said.