14 soldiers face court martial over Poso violence<\/p>\n
La Remy, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi<\/p>\n
At least 14 Army troops will soon face a court martial for their
\nalleged roles in an orgy of kidnapping and murder in the Central
\nSulawesi town of Poso, currently enjoying an uneasy peace after
\nyears of sectarian violence.<\/p>\n
All the soldiers -- two second lieutenants and 12 first
\nprivates -- have been declared suspects in the kidnapping of
\ndozens of civilians in the Toyado area last December.<\/p>\n
Two of the suspects were charged with killing several of the
\ncaptives, and 10 others with maltreating other civilian victims.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Wempi Hapan, the Military Police detachment chief in
\nthe Central Sulawesi capital of Palu, said the charges were laid
\nafter 65 witnesses, including 10 civilians, had been questioned.<\/p>\n
He said the 14 soldiers would be tried before a court martial
\nin Manado, North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Wempi did not specify a date, nor did he identify the
\nsuspects.<\/p>\n
However, he said his subordinates had completed the 1,000-page
\ncase file on the soldiers, which would be submitted to military
\nprosecutors.<\/p>\n
\"It is quite a thick dossier. The abstract alone runs to 400
\npages,\" said Wempi, who was formerly a military police
\ninvestigator at the Jakarta Military Command headquarters.<\/p>\n
The Toyado civilians were allegedly abducted by the soldiers
\non Dec. 2 last year after one of their commanders, named only as
\nCapt. Tomy, was shot in the head during a clash between Muslims
\nand Christians in the Sepe area.<\/p>\n
Tomy was immediately flown to Jakarta for medical treatment.
\nFive other troops were also slightly wounded during the same
\nclashes.<\/p>\n
The abductions shocked residents in Toyado as they took place
\nat dawn when they were taking their first meals of the day during
\nthe Ramadhan fasting month.<\/p>\n
The incident was later reported to security authorities in
\nPoso after one of the victims escaped the abductors.<\/p>\n
However, some hours later in the afternoon, local people found
\nthe bodies of the some of the kidnapped civilians. At least three
\nof the victims are still missing.<\/p>\n
Wempi further said the 14 soldiers could be charged with
\nviolating Article 351 of the Criminal Code, which carries a
\nmaximum penalty of seven years in prison.<\/p>\n
Whether the rogue soldiers would be discharged from the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) or not would be up to their commanders
\nto decide, he added.<\/p>\n
Poso saw two years of sectarian fighting between Muslims and
\nChristians that started in 2000, and which killed some 2,000
\npeople and forced thousands of others to flee their homes.<\/p>\n
In December last year, their leaders signed a peace deal to
\nhalt the clashes. However, sporadic attacks still occur
\noccasionally.<\/p>\n
Fears of an upsurge in violence are currently widespread in
\nPoso following recent bombings and mysterious shootings by
\npersons unknown.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/14-soldiers-face-court-martial-over-poso-violence-1447893297",
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