14 soldiers face court martial over Poso violence

14 soldiers face court martial over Poso violence

La Remy, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

At least 14 Army troops will soon face a court martial for their
alleged roles in an orgy of kidnapping and murder in the Central
Sulawesi town of Poso, currently enjoying an uneasy peace after
years of sectarian violence.

All the soldiers -- two second lieutenants and 12 first
privates -- have been declared suspects in the kidnapping of
dozens of civilians in the Toyado area last December.

Two of the suspects were charged with killing several of the
captives, and 10 others with maltreating other civilian victims.

Lt. Col. Wempi Hapan, the Military Police detachment chief in
the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu, said the charges were laid
after 65 witnesses, including 10 civilians, had been questioned.

He said the 14 soldiers would be tried before a court martial
in Manado, North Sulawesi.

Wempi did not specify a date, nor did he identify the
suspects.

However, he said his subordinates had completed the 1,000-page
case file on the soldiers, which would be submitted to military
prosecutors.

"It is quite a thick dossier. The abstract alone runs to 400
pages," said Wempi, who was formerly a military police
investigator at the Jakarta Military Command headquarters.

The Toyado civilians were allegedly abducted by the soldiers
on Dec. 2 last year after one of their commanders, named only as
Capt. Tomy, was shot in the head during a clash between Muslims
and Christians in the Sepe area.

Tomy was immediately flown to Jakarta for medical treatment.
Five other troops were also slightly wounded during the same
clashes.

The abductions shocked residents in Toyado as they took place
at dawn when they were taking their first meals of the day during
the Ramadhan fasting month.

The incident was later reported to security authorities in
Poso after one of the victims escaped the abductors.

However, some hours later in the afternoon, local people found
the bodies of the some of the kidnapped civilians. At least three
of the victims are still missing.

Wempi further said the 14 soldiers could be charged with
violating Article 351 of the Criminal Code, which carries a
maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Whether the rogue soldiers would be discharged from the
Indonesian Military (TNI) or not would be up to their commanders
to decide, he added.

Poso saw two years of sectarian fighting between Muslims and
Christians that started in 2000, and which killed some 2,000
people and forced thousands of others to flee their homes.

In December last year, their leaders signed a peace deal to
halt the clashes. However, sporadic attacks still occur
occasionally.

Fears of an upsurge in violence are currently widespread in
Poso following recent bombings and mysterious shootings by
persons unknown.