More back separate national police force<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Observers have made fresh calls for the police
\nto be separated from the rest of the Indonesian Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) in order to provide people with legal certainty and
\nprofessional service and to improve human rights protection.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Fachrul
\nRozi, former national police chiefs Awaloedin Djamin and
\nKoenarto, rights campaigner Satjipto Rahardjo and military law
\nexpert Haryo Mataram were among speakers at a three-day seminar
\nat the Police Staff and Command School here yesterday.<\/p>\n
The event was opened by Deputy National Police Chief Lt. Gen.
\nLuthfi Dahlan on behalf of Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi.<\/p>\n
Calls for the separation of the police from ABRI were voiced
\nlast year when the House of Representatives was deliberating
\nlegislation on the police.<\/p>\n
Awaloedin said that in its early history, the police force was
\nindependent of the Armed Forces. It was only in 1964, under the
\nOld Order regime under founding president Sukarno that the police
\ncame under the Armed Forces. his successor, Soeharto, retained
\nthe union.<\/p>\n
He cited as an example investigations into legal violations of
\nhuman rights by a civilian. This should be done professionally by
\npolice but the reality was that a mess of regulations often
\nenabled various institutions with interests at stake to conduct
\ntheir own investigations.<\/p>\n
Koenarto said Indonesia was the only country whose police
\nforce was placed under the armed forces. \"In other countries,
\npolice are part of the ministry of justice, ministry of home
\naffairs or other bodies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He called for police autonomy and for the force to be given
\npower to prevent other parties interfering in its investigations.<\/p>\n
Satjipto agreed. \"Unless the police are separated from the
\nArmed Forces, it's the public who will continue to suffer the
\nconsequences... The strong hand of the law must be that of the
\npolice, otherwise things will become a mess,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Satjipto, who is a member of the National Commission on Human
\nRights, said the doctrine by which the military operates is to
\ncrush enemies, while the police's is to protect.<\/p>\n
Haryo concurred and said that by definition the police force
\nwas not made up of combat troops.<\/p>\n
He questioned chapter 5 of the 1997 Law on Police which says
\nthe National Police is an element of the Armed Forces but not a
\nmilitary body.<\/p>\n
\"If it's not military, can military law be applied to police
\nofficers? Can military tribunals try police officers?\" he said.
\n(43)<\/p>",
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