60 military members netted at night spots
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)