Army detains soldier after Dumai attack
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
The military in Riau pledged on Wednesday to deal firmly with soldiers who attacked police officers in a brawl in the town of Dumai leaving two policemen injured.
Maj. Gen. Tri Tamtomo, chief of the Bukit Barisan military command overseeing security in Riau and North Sumatra, said that only one suspect, identified as Second Sgt. Zul, had been detained for questioning in connection with the violence.
"We are trying to find who else was involved in the clash. So far the investigation is focused on only one soldier," he told journalists in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru.
Tri said a court martial would try and punish those involved in the brawl, which occurred early on Tuesday between soldiers from the Army's 004 Missile Unit in Dumai and local police officers.
He could not say whether the soldiers involved would be dishonorably discharged from the Army or demoted.
"I have no right to make a decision on this. It depends on the evidence. But whoever is found guilty will be punished in accordance with the law," Tri asserted.
Earlier, 19 soldiers were sentenced to between three months and 18 months in prison, as well as being dishonorably discharged, for their roles in simultaneous attacks on police stations in Binjai, some 30 kilometers north of the North Sumatra capital of Medan.
The attacks, involving troops from an air defense unit stationed in Binjai and local police, killed three people in September 2002.
To prevent acts of revenge and cool down the situation following Tuesday's clash, Tri held a special meeting with Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy Komaruddin in Pekanbaru on Wednesday.
The meeting discussed joint efforts to restore and maintain security in Dumai and neighboring areas.
"We have agreed with Pak Deddy to mount joint patrols so as to ensure the security condition in Dumai improves. The patrols will last indefinitely," Tri added.
The clash erupted at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday in the Buangan Sampah red-light district in Bukit Dapur subdistrict, some 200 kilometers from Pekanbaru.
It was sparked by a reported brawl on Monday between hoodlums and soldiers in the red-light district, some 15 kilometers from the port town of Dumai.
The clash began after a soldier, who had been questioned by police about a previous brawl in the red-light district, went back to his barracks where he incited his comrades to attack the police.
The attack injured First Insp. Boro Windu, deputy chief of the Dumai Police criminal investigation bureau, and Second Brig. Azwin Nugroho, and destroyed two cars.
Deddy said on Wednesday that only Azwin was still being treated in the hospital in Dumai. He had sustained serious gunshot wounds in the neck.
"Based on the medical examination, four projectiles lodged in Azwin's neck. Two of them have so far been removed," he added.
This latest clash would appear to show that the security forces have failed to learn much from the deadly Binjai incident of Sept. 28, 2002.