70 enlisted men in E. Java to stand trial

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Seventy military personnel in East Java will be court-martialled for various violations, a senior officer said on Friday.

Brawijaya East Java Military Police chief Col. Soejono revealed that the military personnel, who come from all the three forces in the Indonesian Military (TNI), face charges ranging from desertion to ordinary crimes.

Soejono said they were arrested in the first three months of the year. The number, he added, was less than the 78 court- martialled over the same period last year.

"There were more crimes toward the end of the year, which we surmise had something to do with year-end needs. Some of the errant soldiers committed the crimes for money that they needed to pay off debts," he said as quoted by Antara.

Soejono said desertion topped the violations committed by enlisted men, with the most common being vehicle theft, illegal logging and providing protection to gambling dens and brothels.

He acknowledged that the crimes were related to socioeconomic problems. Other crimes were sparked by love affairs and family disputes.

"The problems made them reluctant to report for duty or see their commander. After they failed to turn up for so long, their commander considered them deserters," he said.

Soejono said desertion was the most serious violation in the military. "There are so many rules in the military. It's hard to be an enlisted man," he said.

He said a deserter could lose his pay.

Soejono said that suspending a soldier's pay was always a dilemma for the TNI leadership because the punishment would adversely affect the family of a military member. The sanction is decided by the TNI chief.

Soejono claimed that wives played a pivotal role in curbing crime involving military personnel, because they could encourage their husbands to comply with the rules.

"In every meeting with wives of our personnel, we ask them to give their husbands a moral boost to maintain the high standard of military discipline," he said.