60 military members netted at night spots

JAKARTA (JP): About 60 Armed Forces (ABRI) members were caught at discotheques and night clubs here on Friday and Saturday night in raids conducted jointly by police and military officers.

It was the largest haul ever made in an operation to catch undisciplined ABRI members at city discos. ABRI members are not allowed to go to discotheques and night clubs.

"The servicemen are being temporarily detained here for further questioning," said an officer at Jakarta Military Police headquarters on Jl. Guntur in South Jakarta yesterday.

Half the men were caught in Friday's raid and the others during the second raid that began Saturday and continued until Sunday morning.

The hundreds-strong raid team also seized three guns from the alleged servicemen.

The first gun was confiscated in Friday's operation at a discotheque in East Jakarta. The other two guns were seized in Saturday's raids on the Energy discotheque in West Jakarta and the Manhattan discotheque in North Jakarta.

As of yesterday, there was no further official statement from military police headquarters about the status of the servicemen and why they were at the entertainment centers.

Discotheques and other entertainment centers are frequently used by drug traffickers to sell drugs. It is believed that some ABRI members act as bodyguards and "protectors" at some entertainment centers.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso said the operation was to arrest ABRI members in prohibited places, such as discotheques.

"It's unavoidable that some civilians are also netted in the operation," Sutiyoso said.

Civilians

During the raids, the team also arrested civilians and confiscated knives, Ecstasy pills, marijuana and Putaw, a cheap kind of heroin.

In South Jakarta, the team arrested three ABRI members and 19 civilians at M Club discotheque at Blok M shopping plaza, Ebony discotheque on Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan and Asmat Discotheque on Jl. Gatot Subroto.

The civilians, including three women, were driven to South Jakarta Police Precinct for questioning while the servicemen were sent to military police headquarters.

One hundred and forty-seven personnel were deployed in the operation in South Jakarta in which only a knife, a few grams of marijuana, putaw and three and a half Ecstasy pills were seized from the civilians.

Eight civilians were released after being charged with not carrying ID cards, said police.

The remaining 11 were still being questioned yesterday. (jun)