Army, police to make up

JAKARTA: Following a recent brawl involving soldiers and police officers, the Army has ordered members of the Cimanggis Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) to limit their activities in public areas.

"The Army chief (Lt. Gen. Djoko Santoso) and the National Police chief (Gen. Da'i Bachtiar) have agreed to impose tough actions against those who violate the law and undermine the good relations between the police and the military," Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said on Monday after a video conference with Bachtiar.

Firman said each force was conducting an internal investigation to find out who started the brawl and those involved.

An Army soldier was attacked on Friday by an elite group of Police Mobile Brigade officers in revenge for a previous assault by a group of soldiers on a police station in Cimanggis.

There have been sporadic clashes between police and the military since the separation of the two forces in 1999.--JP/(006)