21 police officers to face court over Flores shooting incident
21 police officers to face court over Flores shooting incident
Yemris Fointuna, Kupang
After being found guilty by the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) police
disciplinary committee last week, three middle-ranking and 18
low-ranking policemen are now facing trial in court to account
for their alleged involvement in a shooting incident that killed
six people on Flores island in March.
NTT Police spokesman Comr. Butje Hello said on Monday that the
trial would be held after a police fact-finding team handed over
its investigation results to the National Police Headquarters.
"The court trials are intended to judge whether their actions
are in violation of the Criminal Code or they acted in self-
defense, which is stipulated in Chapter 48 and 49," he said.
According to him, the investigating team would again summon
witnesses in the near future to gather supporting evidence to
complete dossiers that would then be submitted to prosecutors
and subsequently to the court.
The trial is aimed at assuring the public that the police are
not above the law, Butje said.
But he added that the case should be viewed rationally,
keeping in mind that they acted to protect themselves after being
attacked by hundreds of residents from Colol village, Manggarai
regency at the local police station.
The three middle-ranking officers who will face trial are
Manggarai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Boni Tompoi, operation unit
chief Adj. Comr. Zainuddin and guidance operation head First
Insp. I Wayan Bayu.
Also to be tried are 18 low-ranking officers, Tausius Tanus,
Handoko S, I Putu Eka, I Wayan Arta, Komang S., Marten KS, I
Gusti Putu, Bambang Eko S., Winard GD, Gusman Irawan, I Dewa Gede
Veda, I Putu Artawa, Janes Malenhi, Firman Nahar Y., J. Cornelis
and Simson Bong -- all first Brigadiers, and Brig. Piter Jhon R.
Earlier, the NTT police disciplinary committee had removed
Tompoi from his post, while Adj. Comr. Zainuddin and First Insp.
I Wayan Bayu were given written reprimands and suspended from
attending police training courses for six months.
The committee also ordered the 18 lower-ranking officers to be
detained for six days.
Out of the 18, Second Brig. Tausius and Brig. Piter Jhon R.
will not be granted a promotion for six months.
The Manggarai shooting tragedy was triggered by the
instruction of Manggarai Regent Anthon Bagul Dagur to destroy
coffee plantations that Colol villagers claimed they were growing
on ancestral land.
Security forces later destroyed more than 15,000 hectares of
coffee plantations between 2003 and this year in Pocoranaka
subdistrict.
Last March, seven Colol residents were abducted and detained
at the local police station while digging for yam on their coffee
plantations.
In reaction, around 400 residents, angered by the detention of
their colleagues, advanced on the police station to demand that
they be released.
But their protest was responded to by gunfire by police
officers, killing six people and wounding 28 others.
The National Police Headquarters and the National Commission
on Human Rights have sent special teams to investigate the bloody
incident.