Hunt on for two marines convicted of killing businessman, bodyguard
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Navy and the police are searching for two marines convicted in the murder of a businessman in 2003 who escaped on Thursday from a military prison.
A military analyst has blamed the jailbreak on the government and the House of Representatives, who failed to amend the prevailing laws on the military and defense as follow-up to the laws on the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) that constitute the separation of the two forces.
Chief of the Navy's military police Brig. Gen. Soenarko said on Sunday he was heading the manhunt, which involved the Navy's intelligence and military police.
"We are going after the two soldiers. We believe they are still in the Jakarta area," Soenarko said.
A press conference will be held on Monday at the Navy Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta on the matter.
Syam A. Sanusi and Suud Rusli, who were convicted by a military tribunal of killing PT Arena Sarana Bakti (Asaba) president director Boedyharto Angsono and his Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) bodyguard, Second Sgt. Edi Siyep, in July 2003, escaped from a Navy detention center after cutting the iron bars of their cell using a saw.
How the convicts obtained the iron saw is unknown, though Soenarko suspects the involvement of "insiders".
He said investigators were questioning the guards who were on duty when Syam and Suud fled. The two were discharged from the military for their roles in the murder.
Another soldier, Second Pvt. Agung Wibowo, escaped from his cell in the Jakarta Military Police detention center prior to his questioning in connection with a shooting case and illegal weapon transactions in September last year. He was apprehended after 12 hours on the run.
The most high profile jailbreak involving the military took place in 2001, when four suspects of the 2000 Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) bombing, who are former servicemen, broke out of Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta. One of them was rearrested and later sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.
The bombing of the JSK building's basement parking lot left 10 people dead.
Heri Prihantono of the ProPatria think tank, which campaigns for military reform, said on Sunday the prevailing judicial system, which exempts the military, was to blame for jailbreaks involving soldiers.
"The suspects of the Asaba boss murder were court-martialled and served their prison terms in the military prison, even though the case should have been handled by the police," Heri said.
Heri said that following the separation of the police from the military in 2000, soldiers involved in crimes should stand trial in civil courts.
He said that while the TNI had acknowledged the supremacy of the Criminal Code following the endorsement of the TNI law last year, no changes had been made as the laws remained unchanged.
"The government and House Commission I and II must amend the laws, particularly on the military tribunal, to enable the police to investigate crimes involving military personnel and take them to district courts," Heri said.