Dead recruit's parents warn against manipulation of case

Dead recruit's parents warn against manipulation of case

Jongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado, North Sulawesi

Parents of four police recruits, who died last week during a
harsh initiation ritual, said on Thursday they could not accept
their sons' deaths and demanded severe punishment for all those
involved in the case.

The bereaved families, along with many other residents from
the regencies of Sangihe and Talaud, North Sulawesi, strongly
urged the authorities to thoroughly probe the Sept. 1 incident in
neighboring Central Sulawesi province.

The four new recruits to the Central Sulawesi Police's
paramilitary Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit died, reportedly from
being beaten repeatedly during a 13-kilometer initiation march.

Three of them -- Second Pvt. Yohanis Tulas, Second Pvt. Denny
Karya Yanis, Second Pvt. Sutaji Takasihaeng -- were from Sangihe,
and another one Second Pvt. Sahilu was the neighboring regency of
Talaud.

Jaya Janis, the father of Denny, warned police investigators
against manipulating the results of the investigation.

"We ask the Central Sulawesi Police chief to take harsh action
against Brimob officers who violated the rules that caused the
deaths of my son and three others. And they must not mess with
the legal proceedings of this case," Jaya told The Jakarta Post
on Thursday.

Hanny Tulas, the father of Yohanis, said that his family was
extremely shocked.

"I've left everything to God. Hopefully, autopsies will reveal
the cause of the deaths and those responsible," he said.

Hanny said that he did not expect the death of his son, who
left his village to follow his dream of becoming a police
officer.

"Before he left to Palu (Central Sulawesi), Yohanis looked so
happy because his dream had nearly come true. But, it was his
last meeting with me," he said.

A hospital source stated that the mouths of the dead officers
were covered with blood, and there were indications of severe
bruising on the bodies. Local villagers along the route of the
march also claimed they had seen the recruits being "tortured" as
they marched.

The four dead Brimob personnel were part of a group of 164 new
recruits who were taking part in the ritual march as the last
phase in their training prior to their official appointment as
qualified police officers.

Separately, Deputy Sangihe Regent Wisnu Salindeho told the
Post that the residents of Sangihe and Talaud were upset by the
deaths of their neighbors' children.

"Three of them came from Sangihe. Their deaths have made many
residents here very sad. They cannot accept it. They have held
rallies twice at my office and at the Sangihe legislative council
to demand the perpetrators be brought to justice," he said.

Salindeho said the protesters wanted the authorities to punish
the perpetrators as harshly as possible.

Sangihe District Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Jemmi Lombo said
he too was sad.

"We're disappointed and sad about these deaths. Therefore,
the case should be probed and tried in a court of law," he
asserted.

A Central Sulawesi councillor, Firman Maranua, had earlier
said that the council would summon Central Sulawesi Police chief
Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha to give a full account of the incident.

Taufik has already fired the commander of the province's
Brimob unit, just three days after the deaths of the police
recruits.

A special team assigned to investigate the case is currently
questioning witnesses, including the instructors of the deadly
initiation ritual.