Hendro: Continue war against racketeers!

JAKARTA (JP): Outgoing City Military Commander Maj. Gen. AM Hendropriyono wants his successor to continue the fight against racketeers in and around Jakarta.

"Racketeers, particularly those who extort money from lower class people and small-scale traders, should be wiped out from this city," the two-star general told reporters yesterday.

Racketeers invariably force small-scale traders to surrender part of their meager earnings to them, Hendro said after delivering his one-and-a-half-hour speech at the Commander's Call of City Garrison gathering at the Jakarta Theater auditorium.

According to a tentative schedule, Hendro, 49, will be replaced by his Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Wiranto, a former adjutant to President Soeharto, in a ceremony at the City Military Command Headquarters on Jl. Sutoyo, East Jakarta, on Wednesday morning.

Hendro further said a racketeer would frequently demand half of the total daily earnings of Rp 10,000 (US$4.60) from a bakso (meatball) seller.

"For many, the Rp 5,000 might be worthless, but for a bakso seller it is quite valuable," he said. "Therefore, we have to continue to fight against such criminal groups."

During his one-year-and-seven-month assignment as the City Military commander, Hendro, who is also chief of the City Coordinating Agency for National Stability (Bakorstanasda) which groups all strategic institutions, has carried out a series of raids against various criminal gangs.

The sweeps dealt mainly with the operations of gangsters believed to have been backed up by "untouchable figures", like those at gambling dens and brothels.

In his speech, Hendro also revealed a number of achievements and failures as well as barriers the city authorities faced in maintaining stability of the city during his term.

The meeting, which was attended by hundreds of senior officers of the city military, police and other related institutions along with their wives, was almost like a farewell ceremony for him.

"I thank God for the appointment of Wiranto to replace me because he is the right figure who already knows many things about this command. His promotion might make it easy to continue the plans," Hendro said.

Hendro is due to be inaugurated as the commander of the new Bandung-based Military Education and Training Command in West Java tomorrow. (bsr)