Bukit Barisan military chief 'to be replaced'

Bukit Barisan military chief 'to be replaced'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said he was
considering replacing Maj. Gen. Idris Gassing, the current chief
of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing North Sumatra,
West Sumatra and Riau, in the light of the Binjai incident, which
he said had badly tarnished the image of the Army.

Ryamizard also said he was considering the possible
disbandment of the Army airborne battalion stationed in Namo
Sira-sira, near Binjai, some 30 kilometers north of Medan, the
capital of North Sumatra.

"I'm considering replacing him (Idris Gassing). But it will
also depend on the results of the ongoing evaluation of the
incident," he said after a rehearsal for the celebration of the
Indonesian Military's 57th anniversary here on Thursday.

Six commanders of the battalion were replaced on Wednesday
while 20 soldiers involved in the bloody attack on the Langkat
Police Station and Mobile Brigade headquarters on Sept. 27, which
killed five police officers, one soldier, and two civilians, were
dishonorably discharged.

The assault was triggered by the police's refusal to release a
detained drug trafficker whose business was backed up by the
battalion's soldiers.

The Army chief explained that whether Idris would be punished
or not depended on his responsibility for the incident. He
(Idris) would be replaced should such an action be recommended
following the ongoing evaluation.

Meanwhile, TNI commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
separately that the airborne battalion had been disbanded for the
time being but whether the disbandment would be permanent or
temporary would depend on the evaluation.

"All measures taken in light of the incident must be based on
the (military) law," he said.

Endriartono said the Army was still investigating the incident
and was looking into its root cause so as to avoid similar
incidents in the future.

During the evaluation, he said, the evaluators were expected
to inquire into the frequent clashes between Army and police
personnel and the separation of authority between the two
institutions.

Asked to comment on the practice of servicemen holding part-
time jobs to gain additional income, Endriartono said soldiers
who could not survive on their current pay should leave the
service.

Maj. Gen. Slamet Supriadi, chairman of the Indonesian
Military/National Police faction in the House of Representatives,
said the dismissal of the 20 soldiers and the replacement of the
airborne unit's leadership did not resolve the main problems.

"The root problems are the education of soldiers, the
military's judicial system, discipline, recruitment and the
welfare of soldiers," he said.

He pointed to the qualifications required by the Army and the
police for new recruits.

"It will only be possible to make soldiers comply with both
military and civilian law if they are better paid," he said.

The Binjai incident had raised new problems not only for the
military but also for the public at large.

"Civilians should not seek protection from either the police
nor the military to back up their businesses because this could
lead to conflicts similar to the Binjai gunfight," he said.

Given its new paradigm, the question of whether the military
would become a small organization or a big institution would
depend on the people and the (country's) leaders, he said.