Police yet to recover missing marijuana<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Police have yet to locate 1.5 tons of marijuana that went missing
\nand 61 prisoners who escaped after soldiers from Army Airborne
\nBattalion\/PS attacked the Langkat Police station on Sept. 27.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Ansyad Mbai said on
\nWednesday that so far the police had no clues as to who took the
\ndrugs.<\/p>\n
\"A joint military-police investigation team will unravel the
\ncase, including locating the missing 1.5 tons of marijuana and
\nthe prisoners from the Langkat Police station,\" Ansyad told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He refused, however, to disclose if his personnel were
\nencountering any difficulties in investigating the whereabouts of
\nthe drugs.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, Binjai was rocked by a nine-hour gunfight
\nbetween the Army's Airborne unit and police there.<\/p>\n
The bloody incident took place when hundreds of Army soldiers
\nattacked the Langkat Police station after police there refused a
\nsoldier's request to release a suspected drug dealer.<\/p>\n
At least eight men, including two civilians, were killed in
\nthe incident, in which 1.5 tons of marijuana went missing and 61
\nprisoners, mostly suspected drug dealers, escaped.<\/p>\n
Dozens of police and soldiers were also injured in the fight.<\/p>\n
Following the incident, the Army discharged 28 soldiers and
\ndemoted four officers. Army leaders have also promised to bring
\nthose responsible to justice.<\/p>\n
Bukit Barisan Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Nurdin
\nSulistyo said that the Military Police were trying to recover the
\ndrugs and brushed aside allegations that the military had stolen
\nthe marijuana.<\/p>\n
\"The allegations are not true. We received reports that the
\nmarijuana had been stolen by civilians, but who? We have yet to
\nfind out,\" Nurdin told the Post.<\/p>\n
He promised that the military would provide the police with
\nany kind of assistance needed to recover the missing drugs and
\nprisoners.<\/p>\n
In a bid to investigate the incident, the Military Police also
\ninterrogated some 100 soldiers from the airborne unit.<\/p>\n
Nurdin said that the soldiers were interrogated for their
\nalleged role in provoking and participating in the clash with the
\npolice.<\/p>\n
He said that the investigation may involve more soldiers as
\nthe airborne unit consists of about 700.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
\non Wednesday that there was a possibility that the bloody clash
\nwas provoked by a third party.<\/p>\n
\"We've found signs that a third party was involved, but we
\naren't sure yet,\" Endriartono said on the sidelines of a meeting
\ndiscussing marine security.<\/p>\n
He said that one of the soldiers who appeared active during
\nthe shooting was an Acehnese with a Javanese name.<\/p>\n
\"He had fake identity cards, including a birth certificate
\nstating that he was Javanese,\" Endriartono said. \"We suspect that
\nhe masterminded (the attack).\"<\/p>\n
But he said the soldier, whom he did not identify by name or
\nrank, might have pretended to be Javanese out of fear that the
\nArmy would refuse to draft him if he was Acehnese.<\/p>\n
He did not say if the soldier was still at large or in the
\ncustody of military police.<\/p>\n
Endriartono also said that TNI was undecided on whether to
\ndisband Battalion 100, with the reasoning that the unit's good
\nname had been tainted.<\/p>\n
With no pride for their unit, soldiers could not perform at
\ntheir best, he explained.<\/p>",
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