TNI personnel commit more violent crimes<\/p>\n
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
Crimes and misdemeanors committed by Indonesian Military (TNI)
\npersonnel in Riau dropped slightly from 120 cases in 2002 to 117
\ncases in 2003, a senior military officer said.<\/p>\n
But, although the number of offenses had declined, they had
\nbecome more serious in nature, the commander of the I\/5 Pekanbaru
\nMilitary Police Detachment, Lt. Col. Soebandi said on Tuesday in
\nPekanbaru.<\/p>\n
According to Soebandi, of the 117 crimes and misdemeanors in
\n2003, 60 percent were committed by Army personnel, around 35
\npercent by the Navy and the remainder by Air Force personnel.<\/p>\n
\"In the previous years, for example, vehicle thefts were not
\nusually accompanied by violence. But, last year, there were more
\ncases of armed robbery,\" he said, without providing statistics.<\/p>\n
He said that desertion was the most common misdemeanor.<\/p>\n
Of the 117 cases handled by the court-martial in Padang and
\nMedan, 113 cases had been solved, in which three Army personnel
\nhad been discharged from their units, said Soebandi.<\/p>\n
\"Usually, those who commit desertion are from combat
\nbattalions. One of the (three) men deserted his duty because he
\nwas afraid of being posted to a conflict area, such as Aceh,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Of the offenses committed by Army personnel, vehicle theft
\ntopped the list, followed by armed robbery and desertion.<\/p>\n
He added that the Military Police also investigated cases that
\nwere perpetrated by military personnel.<\/p>\n
\"There was only one such case in 2003, when a fight between
\nthe Army's artillery unit and the police Mobile Brigade in Dumai,
\nRiau, broke out,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Airforce personnel had a relatively crime-free year in 2003,
\nwith only traffic offenses recorded.<\/p>\n
He also said that 70 percent of criminal and desertion cases
\nwere committed by non-commissioned officers, 20 percent by petty
\nofficers and 10 percent by officers.<\/p>\n
He explained that legal cases involving military personnel in
\nRiau were handled by court-martial in the West Sumatra capital of
\nPadang, or in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, as a court-
\nmartial had not yet been established in Pekanbaru.<\/p>\n
Soebandi hoped that in 2004, the TNI would establish a court-
\nmartial in Riau so that the cases could be processed more
\nefficiently.<\/p>\n
\"At this time, every case has to be submitted to Padang or
\nMedan. This has burdened us financially and slowed down the
\njudicial process,\" he said.<\/p>",
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