Authorities brace for MPR General Session
Authorities brace for MPR General Session
JAKARTA (JP): A joint force involving some 30,000 police
officers and members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) will soon
launch Operation Martabrata VI to safeguard the General Session
of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) slated for early
November, a senior police official said on Friday.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar said
the operation would start 45 days before the Assembly's General
Session and continue until a month after it ends.
"Security will be tight in Jakarta. We had our first formal
meeting on Friday, and representatives from the Army, Air Force
and Navy Headquarters were invited to discuss the issue," Togar
told The Jakarta Post.
He said those to be deployed in the operation were members
from the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), Army Strategic Reserves
Command (Kostrad), Navy's Elite Marine troops and Navy's West
Fleet (Armabar), Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau), National
Air Defense Command (Kohanudnas) and Air Force Special Troops
(Paskhas) and Elite Police Mobile Brigade.
Deputy city police chief Brig. Gen. Sutanto said in early July
that 42,300 personnel would be deployed here during the
Assembly's General Session.
Separately, Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus said
earlier this month that President B.J. Habibie instructed
Minister of Defense and Security/TNI Commander Gen. Wiranto and
National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi to concentrate troops
around the MPR/House of Representatives (DPR) complex in Senayan,
Central Jakarta.
Yunus said the President also asked the military chief to
deploy troops around the hotels where the 700 MPR members would
be staying at during the General Session.
The new DPR/MPR members are scheduled to be inducted on Oct.
1. They will meet again some time early November to elect a new
president and vice president, and endorse the State Policy
Guidelines (GBHN).
During the MPR Special Session last November, the military
deployed about 80,000 troops. They were assisted by about 125,000
armed civilian militiamen (Pamswakarsa), the deployment of which
created heated controversy.
As the Special Session got underway on Nov. 13, 1998, armed
police and troops opened fire on university students marching to
the MPR building.
Twelve people died and 150 others were seriously injured,
mostly from gunshot wounds, in a clash at the Semanggi cloverleaf
in Jakarta. (ylt)