Analysts blame clash on TNI's grip on security affairs<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Analysts blamed the deadly gunfight between police and soldiers
\nin Binjai, North Sumatra, on the reluctance of the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) to focus on the national defense and relinquish
\nits involvement in internal security matters to the police.<\/p>\n
They said the military's long-standing grip on internal
\nsecurity affairs had made the soldiers hesitant to withdraw from
\nthe power.<\/p>\n
"TNI joins in security operations more often than taking care
\nof defense matters. This mistake, of course, creates conflicts,"
\nsaid Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation (PBHI) here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Nur Atar Achmad of the Police Watchdog concurred. He urged the
\nmilitary commander to convince the soldiers to carry out defense
\nmatters.<\/p>\n
Both Hendardi and Atar were commenting on the gunfight between
\npolice and soldiers in the North Sumatra town of Binjai, which
\nhad claimed eight lives.<\/p>\n
Similar incidents have taken place in cities throughout the
\ncountry. The latest was on Aug. 12 when 30 members of the
\nNational Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) attacked a military
\ncomplex in Bogor, West Java.<\/p>\n
One police officer was killed in the incident and three others
\nwere seriously injured.<\/p>\n
Another incident occurred in September last year in Madiun,
\nEast Java, between police officers and Army soldiers who killed
\ntwo civilians.<\/p>\n
For years, the police were part of the TNI and were
\nsubordinate to the military. The police separated from the TNI
\nafter the enactment of Law No. 2\/2002 on Indonesian Police
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
Under the law, the police are headed by a police commander who
\nis directly accountable to the President.<\/p>\n
The separation has boosted the police's confidence, but it has
\nbecome a threat to the military's dominance, observers said.<\/p>\n
Although, the police are legally mandated to handle security
\naffairs, observers say military commanders' failure to share has
\nprompted soldiers to keep their role in security affairs intact.<\/p>\n
In the Binjai gunfight, which lasted from Sunday evening
\nthrough Monday morning, various weapons -- including M16s and
\nAK47s -- were used to gun each other down.<\/p>\n
Reports have said that the gunfight was provoked by a rivalry
\nbetween police officers and soldiers involved in the illegal drug
\ntrade. Both the police and military are allegedly involved in
\ntrafficking drugs to increase their incomes.<\/p>\n
"The conflict is an accumulation of problems from the past. I
\nbelieve it will resurface in the future if no stern actions are
\ntaken," Hendardi said.<\/p>\n
He added that there should be strict regulations on the use of
\narms and munitions among police and military personnel. He urged
\nthe government to make stricter regulations to deal with weapons.<\/p>\n
Hendardi acknowledged that deadly clashes between police and
\nmilitary personnel could be ignited by different factors, but the
\nroot of the problem was the same.<\/p>\n
He said there was rising hostility among police and military
\npersonnel following the police's separation from the TNI.<\/p>\n
Achmad agreed with Hendardi, saying that the military's envy
\nhad boiled over with speculation that police personnel could earn
\nmore cash due to their close interaction with society.<\/p>\n
He added that the condition had worsened with the police
\npersonnel flaunting their wealth to military soldiers, a move
\nwhich could enrage the soldiers.<\/p>",
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