Veterans urge caution on shoot-on-sight order<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Retired officers on Tuesday urged caution
\nin the carrying out of orders to shoot rioters on sight to
\nprevent unnecessary killing of suspects and innocent people.<\/p>\n
Military observer Hasnan Habib criticized the statement of
\nNational Police Chief Gen. Roesmanhadi that officers could be
\ndismissed if they did not dare to open fire on rioters. Such a
\nstatement \"could lead to reckless shooting,\" he said as quoted by
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Association of Retired Military Officers
\n(Pepabri) Gen. (ret.) Try Sutrisno said while he agreed with the
\nheightened response to unrest, the orders should be in line with
\nprocedures including the use of prior warning shots, types of
\nbullets involved and targeted parts of the body.<\/p>\n
Hasnan said further that Armed Forces (ABRI) personnel
\ninvolved in carrying out the order should be professionals to
\nprevent rioters being shot in the head instead of in the leg, the
\nagency reported.<\/p>\n
Reports have cited dozens of cases in which police have shot
\nsuspects dead, while police have said they were all resisting
\narrest or attempting escape.<\/p>\n
Crowds should be differentiated from rioters, he added. Hasnan
\nsaid the measure would hopefully be effective, and was quoted as
\nsaying that it would not imply the \"to kill or be killed\" concept
\napplied in war.<\/p>\n
The retired officers of the association had visited Armed
\nForces Commander Gen. Wiranto, also the Minister of Defense and
\nSecurity at headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta. The
\ndelegation including former minister of defense and security Edi
\nSudrajat said they had requested input from the ABRI leadership
\nbefore a planned national level meeting of the association in the
\nnear future. The association, together with the armed forces, is
\npart of the ABRI Big Family.<\/p>\n
Activists said Monday that capturing the masterminds behind
\nrecent unrest would be better than announcing a shoot-on-sight
\norder.<\/p>\n
Wiranto had announced the order on Saturday saying the current
\nwidespread violence could no longer be tolerated but that the
\norder would be carried out only if necessary.<\/p>\n
The veterans' association has come into the spotlight
\nregarding its statement that members were free to join any party
\nand no longer had to support the ruling party Golkar as they have
\nfor decades.<\/p>\n
Edi is an executive of the new Justice and Unity Party set up
\nby dissident senior members of Golkar. (anr)<\/p>",
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