ABRI to start training 40,000 civilian security

ABRI to start training 40,000 civilian security

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense/Armed Forces (ABRI)
Commander Gen. Wiranto told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that
ABRI would start training 40,000 members of People's Security
(Kamra) in January as part of its controversial civilian militia
recruitment plan.

Minister of Information Lt. Gen. Muhammad Yunus disclosed
Wiranto's report to the meeting on political affairs and
security, chaired by President B.J. Habibie at the Bina Graha
presidential office.

Yunus quoted Wiranto as saying that 40,000 Kamra members would
be trained at ABRI training centers throughout the country to
prepare them to help police in safeguarding the general election
in June next year and the presidential election in November.

Yunus cited presidential decree No. 55, issued in 1972, and
other decrees as the legal basis for the plan.

"For the first step, about 40,000 people will be recruited,
maybe because we have to face the general election," Yunus said
after attending the six-hour meeting.

Yunus said the government was fully aware of the controversy
over the plan but indicated the recruitment was not against the
law.

Following days of public uproar, the government dropped a plan
to establish a civilian militia known as Ratih, the acronym for
rakyat terlatih or trained civilians, pending a law issuance on
the matter. The government originally sought to recruit 75,000
for the militia, whose existence would be to help security
personnel safeguard the general election.

Yunus cited other types of civilian security, including
People's Resistance (Wanra), aimed at assisting ABRI in defense
affairs, and Public Order (Tibum), to assist the Ministry of
Home Affairs in keeping public order.

Yunus did not mention the civilian defense unit (Hansip),
whose members are usually hired as neighborhood guards.

"I think the budget (for the Kamra) is already available,"
Yunus noted.

Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto had said his ministry had
not allocated any special fund from the State Budget to finance
the plan.

Muslim leader Amien Rais is among critics of the plan. He
argued that people were still traumatized by the deployment of up
to 125,000 civilians during last month's Special Session of
People's Consultative Assembly. Bloody clashes were unavoidable
with student protesters at that time.

"The quality and quantity of security personnel to safeguard
the general election are still not enough," Yunus asserted.

Minister of Justice Muladi said on Monday the government would
temporarily deploy the Kamra and Hansip until the establishment
of the civilian militia was approved by the House of
Representatives.

"The civilian militia's main duty is to protect the security
of the people, while Hansip and Kamra are responsible for
security in the neighborhood," Muladi said at the time.

"The duty of the Kamra as a part of civilian militia, among
other things, is to help police in security and order," Yunus
said on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Wiranto also explained about the Council
for Enforcement of Security and Law and assured that the
council's sole purpose was to help the President in formulating
his strategic policies. The council itself also gets strong
opposition.

The council will hold its first meeting on Thursday.

According to Yunus, Wiranto said the presence of the Agency
for Coordination of Support for the Development of National
Stability (Bakorstanas) was vital for the country despite the new
council's existence because it had lines of command up to
military command's lowest level.

Wiranto, who chairs the agency, will become the executive
chairman of the council.

"The presence of Bakorstanas is still extremely needed," Yunus
said. (prb)