K9 team helpful, but not suitable for Aceh<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh<\/p>\n
Meet Raima, formerly an assistant to the police whose job was to
\ndetect explosive materials at the JW Marriott Hotel in South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
But Raima the Labrador was not on duty when a bomb exploded at
\nthe hotel on Aug. 5, killing 12 people and injuring 147 others.<\/p>\n
She is among nine well-trained dogs who were dispatched from
\nthe Kelapa Dua canine training center in East Jakarta to the war-
\ntorn province of Aceh, as the government launched a major
\noffensive against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels on May 19,<\/p>\n
The Labrador was among a team of three assigned to North Aceh,
\nalong with Rottweiler Attack and Labrador-Doberman blaster Alex.
\nThe other six dogs were assigned to the provincial capital of
\nBanda Aceh and Pidie regency.<\/p>\n
They all have special capabilities and a long list of
\ncredentials.<\/p>\n
Besides safeguarding hotels, Raima, who is now two and a half
\nyears old, has been entrusted to secure international events,
\nincluding the International Conference on Sustainable Development
\nin Bali last year, a few months before the devastating bombs
\nattacks there in October.<\/p>\n
According to Attack's instructor Second Brig. Maskur Wibowo,
\nthe six-year-old dog was owed more than just a pat on the head
\nwhen he demonstrated his skills by locating the scattered remains
\nof human bodies, in the sectarian conflict in Poso, Central
\nSulawesi, in 2000.<\/p>\n
But the dog's skills had apparently not been put to the test
\nlately, although he is used in the security of state
\ninstitutions, administration offices, and banks in Lhokseumawe,
\nthe capital of North Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"They have just once joined in our operations over the past
\nthree months,\" said Chief Brig. Age Suryono, the commander of the
\ncanine team for the North Aceh police.<\/p>\n
He said in that operation, in a small village in Mongeudong
\nlast month, the canine team had forced three suspected GAM
\nmembers out of hiding. The dogs also located a motorcycle and a
\nbayonet, which were seized as evidence of one of the suspects
\nalleged involvement in the separatist movement.<\/p>\n
Aceh has adopted sharia (Islamic law) as part of its status of
\nspecial autonomy. Muslims consider the dog to be an unclean
\nanimal.<\/p>\n
Did the Acehenese people mind the dogs entering their houses
\nto search?<\/p>\n
\"I don't know about that. The fact is, none of them were in
\ntheir houses because the residents were evacuated ahead of the
\noperation,\" Age said.<\/p>\n
North Aceh police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Daniyanto, however,
\nadmitted that he was \"scolded\" by the regency's military chief
\nwhen reporting the operation to him.<\/p>\n
\"He said: `My God, this is the land of sharia. You should have
\nthough twice'. But the dogs are incredibly good. I didn't look
\nback,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But such a condition is only one of many problems that makes
\nthe presence of the K9 team unsuitable to Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"The dogs' special diet is not available in Aceh. Jakarta has
\nto send preserved dog food and we have to pick it up from Medan,
\nwhich makes their food more expensive than that of our soldiers,\"
\nAge said.<\/p>\n
Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra province, is
\n300 kilometers or seven hours drive from Lhokseumawe.<\/p>\n
The lack of health facilities for the dogs has also posed
\nanother problem. Usually, the dogs undergo medical check ups
\ntwice a week, Age said.<\/p>\n
\"In this emergency condition, the instructors have to inject
\nthe dogs with vitamins regularly. If we need medical help, then
\nwe must drive them to Medan and take the flight to Jakarta,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"What we are the most worried about is the emergency cages
\nmade for the dogs. The frail wooden structure are easy to break
\ndown. If the dogs mate, then it will decrease their stamina by up
\nto 25 percent and, of course, weaken their sense of smell,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/k9-team-helpful-but-not-suitable-for-aceh-1447893297",
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