22 Army officers and chiefs dismissed over Madiun attack<\/p>\n
MALANG, East Java (JP): The Army's Strategic Reserves Command
\n(Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu has discharged chief
\nof Kostrad's Airborne Infantry Battalion 501 Maj. Komistin
\nHadirin and his deputy Maj. Nurcholid, as well as 20 members of
\nthe battalion, over a deadly attack on Madiun Police station and
\nseveral other police stations at midnight on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Two students were shot dead in the incident, while scores of
\npolicemen and Army members were injured.<\/p>\n
\"If another such incident ever happens again, I will not show
\nany mercy to those involved. I'll discharge every member of a
\nbattalion if necessary,\" Ryamizard was quoted by Antara as saying
\nafter presiding over Monday's roll call of Artillery Regiment I
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the parents of the dead students, Hendrik, 17, and
\nM. Adi Nugroho, 18, said they would file suit against the police
\nand the Army for the deaths of their sons.<\/p>\n
\"Why did they shoot my son?\" said Waluyo, the father of Adi,
\nadding that he would take the case to the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights should the police and military fail to respond to
\nhis lawsuit.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, the spokesman for the East Java Brawijaya
\nMilitary Command, Lt. Col. Djoko Agus, said on Monday the 20
\ninfantry battalion members were in the custody of the Madiun
\nmilitary police. \"They are waiting for legal processing for the
\noffense,\" he said. \"We are investigating the case very
\nseriously.\"<\/p>\n
Fierce attacks by members of Infantry Battalion 501 on Madiun
\nPolice station and three substations followed a heated argument
\nbetween two military policemen of the infantry battalion with
\nNavy Second Lt. A.M. Jeremy, Army Second Lt. Azis and Police
\nSecond Lt. Tatit Muji Widodo. The three men were out of uniform.<\/p>\n
The three lieutenants were in a car queued up to buy gasoline
\nat a gas station near the town square. They became upset when the
\ntwo military policemen who were riding a motorcycle ignored all
\nthe vehicles lined up for gas and cut in front of their car.<\/p>\n
The three officers and the two military policemen began to
\nargue, which escalated when a large number of the infantry
\nbattalion members arrived at the scene and helped the military
\npolicemen.<\/p>\n
Tatit fired a warning shot, which did not stop the fighting.
\nOne of the military policemen tried to grab Tatit's gun and was
\nshot in the leg.<\/p>\n
The brawl led to an attack by about 300 members of the
\ninfantry battalion on Madiun Police station and three other
\nsubstations in the town. One traffic police post in the precinct
\nwas destroyed.<\/p>\n
Other buildings were also attacked and damaged, including the
\npolice hospital. Several police vehicles were also destroyed.
\nMany police officers were seriously injured in the attack.<\/p>\n
Another attack took place an hour later when more than 50 Army
\nmembers returned to the police precinct and destroyed other
\nbuildings. Scores of civilians were reportedly following the Army
\nin the attack.<\/p>\n
Ryamizard, however, strongly denied an allegation that some
\nArmy members were equipped with guns during the attack, and that
\nthe Army members were helped by civilians.<\/p>\n
The police earlier claimed that the civilians were helping the
\nArmy members, but were just watching events unfold.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said in
\nJakarta on Monday that National Police chief Gen. Surojo
\nBimantoro had instructed all parties in the police force to
\nremain calm in their reaction to events in Madiun and to refrain
\nfrom entering into \"institutional\" feuds.<\/p>\n
Following the incident, a joint investigative team of police
\nand military personnel was deployed to probe the case.<\/p>\n
Also in Jakarta, a member of House of Representatives (DPR)
\nCommission I, Permadi, said the clash indicated that discipline
\namong police and Army officers was still very poor. \"Army and
\npolice leaders have failed to build discipline among their
\nmembers.\" (emf\/nur\/sur)<\/p>",
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