Eighty-four guns handed in by retired ABRI members
Eighty-four guns handed in by retired ABRI members
JAKARTA (JP): As many as 84 guns of various types were
voluntarily returned by 17 retired Armed Forces members,
including three generals, to the Jakarta Military Command
yesterday.
The three former generals are Maj. Gen. (ret) Eddie M.
Nalapraya, Maj. Gen. Bambang Sinarujo and late Vice Admiral
Koentowibisono, who was represented by his wife.
The rests are retired colonels and lieutenant colonels of the
air force, the army, the navy and the police.
All of the guns, FNs, M-10s, Colts, and AKs, have legal
ownership documents.
Eddie M. Nalapraya, a former deputy governor of Jakarta,
yesterday returned his collection of 25 guns.
"I'm sad of course. But it's an obligation for an armed forces
member to abide by the superiors' instruction. A gun is like a
second wife for an armed forces member," Eddie told reporters in
a ceremony at the Jakarta garrison on Jl. Merdeka Timur, Central
Jakarta.
City Military Command Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso has called on retired
Armed Forces members to hand in their guns. He acknowledged that
the appeal was prompted by an armed robbery in the city last
month when three masked men robbed a supermarket of Rp 260,000
(US$111.82) randomly firing shots from automatic rifles, believed
to be FNs and Ak-47s. No one was killed in the robbery on May 12.
Bambang handed in five pistols, while Mrs. Koentowibisono
returned two of her husband's guns.
"I only found out that my husband had these guns after his
death last year," she explained.
Sutiyoso said the Military Command appreciated the positive
response to the appeal.
"We hope this will be followed by other retired military men
and civilians," Sutiyoso told reporters.
He said that the Military Command was planning raids on army
housing complexes this month to follow up on the appeal.
Sutiyoso said retired members would be allowed to visit their
guns any time; they will be looked after by the Military Command.
He said according to the law, people are only allowed to keep
guns for hunting purposes.
The Military Command previously received 20 guns from retired
members. (jun)