ABRI officers linked to extortion

SEMARANG, Central Java: Ten officers of the Armed Forces (ABRI) suspected of extorting money from potential recruits will be questioned soon, the local military chief said Saturday.

The action will be taken to support ABRI's claim that there is no enrollment fee required from new cadets, said Maj. Gen. Soeyono, chief of the Diponegoro regional military command overseeing security in the province.

Soeyono hopes to quell the public's accusations and to assure people that recruitment is free of charge.

"People who claim that prospective applicants will be admitted as long as they pay a sum of money should not be believed," he said to Antara.(pan)