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)