K9 team helpful, but not suitable for Aceh

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh

Meet Raima, formerly an assistant to the police whose job was to detect explosive materials at the JW Marriott Hotel in South Jakarta.

But Raima the Labrador was not on duty when a bomb exploded at the hotel on Aug. 5, killing 12 people and injuring 147 others.

She is among nine well-trained dogs who were dispatched from the Kelapa Dua canine training center in East Jakarta to the war- torn province of Aceh, as the government launched a major offensive against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels on May 19,

The Labrador was among a team of three assigned to North Aceh, along with Rottweiler Attack and Labrador-Doberman blaster Alex. The other six dogs were assigned to the provincial capital of Banda Aceh and Pidie regency.

They all have special capabilities and a long list of credentials.

Besides safeguarding hotels, Raima, who is now two and a half years old, has been entrusted to secure international events, including the International Conference on Sustainable Development in Bali last year, a few months before the devastating bombs attacks there in October.

According to Attack's instructor Second Brig. Maskur Wibowo, the six-year-old dog was owed more than just a pat on the head when he demonstrated his skills by locating the scattered remains of human bodies, in the sectarian conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in 2000.

But the dog's skills had apparently not been put to the test lately, although he is used in the security of state institutions, administration offices, and banks in Lhokseumawe, the capital of North Aceh.

"They have just once joined in our operations over the past three months," said Chief Brig. Age Suryono, the commander of the canine team for the North Aceh police.

He said in that operation, in a small village in Mongeudong last month, the canine team had forced three suspected GAM members out of hiding. The dogs also located a motorcycle and a bayonet, which were seized as evidence of one of the suspects alleged involvement in the separatist movement.

Aceh has adopted sharia (Islamic law) as part of its status of special autonomy. Muslims consider the dog to be an unclean animal.

Did the Acehenese people mind the dogs entering their houses to search?

"I don't know about that. The fact is, none of them were in their houses because the residents were evacuated ahead of the operation," Age said.

North Aceh police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Daniyanto, however, admitted that he was "scolded" by the regency's military chief when reporting the operation to him.

"He said: `My God, this is the land of sharia. You should have though twice'. But the dogs are incredibly good. I didn't look back," he said.

But such a condition is only one of many problems that makes the presence of the K9 team unsuitable to Aceh.

"The dogs' special diet is not available in Aceh. Jakarta has to send preserved dog food and we have to pick it up from Medan, which makes their food more expensive than that of our soldiers," Age said.

Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra province, is 300 kilometers or seven hours drive from Lhokseumawe.

The lack of health facilities for the dogs has also posed another problem. Usually, the dogs undergo medical check ups twice a week, Age said.

"In this emergency condition, the instructors have to inject the dogs with vitamins regularly. If we need medical help, then we must drive them to Medan and take the flight to Jakarta," he added.

"What we are the most worried about is the emergency cages made for the dogs. The frail wooden structure are easy to break down. If the dogs mate, then it will decrease their stamina by up to 25 percent and, of course, weaken their sense of smell," he said.