Victims not to sue perpetrators in Madiun shoot out<\/p>\n
By Tarko Sudiarno<\/p>\n
MADIUN, East Java (JP): \"This one is dead.\" He is not. The
\nphrase resonates in Agung's mind.<\/p>\n
Lying on bed with a shot wound in a hospital here, the victim
\nof a clash between the military and the police midnight last
\nSaturday tried to recall what he experienced that night.<\/p>\n
\"I was lying on the ground, half conscious after being shot
\ndown.<\/p>\n
\"I was aware that armed policemen were around. One of them
\nstepped on my head to make sure if I was killed, saying 'this one
\nis dead'\", the young boy told The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
Members of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad)
\nAirborne Infantry Battalion 501 attacked the Madiun Police
\nstation and three other police stations midnight Sept. 15.<\/p>\n
Three teenagers were shot dead in the clash, several policemen
\nand Army personnel were injured.<\/p>\n
Agung and 27 others of his friends were riding on 14
\nmotorcycles in front of the police station when live bullets were
\nsprayed by policemen. Agung was not aware that a clash had just
\noccurred between Kostrad troops and the police.<\/p>\n
Agung's claim seems to conform with those of Army Chief of
\nStaff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto. In a hearing with the House of
\nRepresentatives members Wednesday, Endriartono said that the
\nthree teenagers killed in the clash were shot by the police.<\/p>\n
He said the shooting took place shortly after all Kostrad
\nsoldiers had fled the police station in downtown Madiun.<\/p>\n
Former Madiun police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eddy
\nHariyanto said the teenagers were killed because they passed the
\npolice station along with infantry men who were launching a
\nsecond attack.<\/p>\n
\"But nobody knows yet who fired the shots at them. We
\nexchanged fires when the two groups approached each other in the
\nsecond encounter,\" said Eddy Hariyanto, who was transferred to
\nthe East Java police headquarters after the incident.<\/p>\n
Agung's parents, who were met at the city's Soedono Hospital,
\nsaid they were very much relieved to see their son recuperating.
\nThey said they would not take any legal action as long as their
\nhospital bills were paid for.<\/p>\n
Another parent whose son was killed in the incident said he
\nhad no intention to sue the police.<\/p>\n
\"Would my son come to life again if I did so?\" asked Abdul
\nHaris, father of the now deceased Taufiq Rahman.<\/p>\n
Two sidewalk vendors met at the city square said the clash
\nbroke out at one corner of the city's square.<\/p>\n
This contradicted an earlier reports that said the clash was
\ntriggered by a trivial matter at a gas station close to the
\nsquare.<\/p>\n
Three Kostrad lieutenants were in a car queued up to buy
\ngasoline at a gas station near the town square. The became upset
\nwhen the two military policemen who were riding a motorcycle
\nignored all the vehicles lined up for gas and cut in front of
\ntheir car.<\/p>\n
The three officers and the two military policemen began to
\nargue, which escalated when a large number of the infantry
\nbattalion members arrived at the scene and helped the military
\npolicemen.<\/p>\n
One infantry member fired a warning shot, which did not stop
\nthe fighting and when one military policeman tried to grab his
\ngun the policeman was shot in the leg.<\/p>\n
A gas station worker who was on duty last Saturday night also
\nrefuted the report.<\/p>\n
\"There was no fighting here. The report was not true. The
\nclash began at the corner of the square,\" he said pointing to the
\nsquare about 100 meters away.<\/p>\n
He said he was so furious about the report he made a call to a
\nnewspaper but his rebuttal was never mentioned.<\/p>\n
Residents say the square is a favorite hang out for youths at
\nnight.<\/p>\n
The police estimated the damage incurred by the deadly clash
\namounted to Rp 300 million.<\/p>\n
Sources at the Madiun military police said the case was still
\nbeing investigated.<\/p>\n
The tense relations between Madiun police and infantry members
\nbegan to ease on Friday following their joint rally at the city
\nsquare. Together they repaired the damaged police stations.<\/p>\n
Endriartono said on Wednesday hearing with legislators that
\npart of the troop members had behaved badly in recent time. Some
\nhad succumbed to drinking alcohol even during their duty hours.<\/p>\n
He attributed the clash between the police and the military in
\nMadiun to the snatching of positions to protect clandestine
\nbusinesses such as gambling dens and drugs trade.<\/p>\n
Madiun police spokesman Ketut Pramana said the police had set
\nup a joint programs with the military to ensure better relations
\nin the future.<\/p>\n
\"We may hold sports competitions shortly between the existing
\nforces,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Pramana said he hoped such events would prevent possible
\nfrictions between security and defense units in the city.<\/p>\n
Madiun is home to a number of police and military bases.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/victims-not-to-sue-perpetrators-in-madiun-shoot-out-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }