Kopassus troops remain high-spirited: Syahrir
JAKARTA (JP): The Army's Special Force's (Kopassus) troops remain high-spirited and unaffected by the ongoing investigation into some of their officers' alleged involvement in the abduction and torture of political activists, the force's chief said yesterday.
Kopassus' commandant general Maj. Gen. Syahrir M.S. said Saturday his men are conducting their activities as usual.
"The Kopassus troops' morale remains high... their loyalty to the country and the nation remains the best," Syahrir said.
He declined to comment on the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Officers Honor Council on three Kopassus senior officers -- former Kopassus chief Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto and his successor Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono, and former chief of Kopassus intelligence operations Col. Chairawan -- for their alleged role in the abduction of activists.
Syahrir also declined to comment on the ongoing investigation into 10 other lower-rank Kopassus members, currently in the military police's custody, for their alleged direct involvement in the abductions.
Similarly, Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and chief of the Honor Council Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo were reluctant to comment on the ongoing investigation.
"Just wait for our announcement," Wiranto said.
"We'll continue questioning the three Kopassus senior officers after the commemoration of Indonesia's 53rd anniversary of independence (yesterday)," Subagyo, who is also the Army's chief of staff, said separately.
Subagyo announced Friday that the council would recommend that Prabowo be court-martialled for his alleged involvement in the abduction and torture of activists.
Syahrir, who replaced Muchdi last May, dismissed speculation that the recent revelations of various abuses allegedly committed by Kopassus has led to a plan to reorganize Kopassus into three groups.
"There's no plan to remove the antiterrorist group from our organizational structure, either," he said.
Kopassus currently has five specialized groups. The present structure is the result of reorganization in June 1996.
Group I, based in Serang, West Java, deals with combat operations; Group II, with similar combat specialty, is located in Kartasura, near Surakarta, Central Java; and Group III, which deals with education and training, is based in Batujajar near Bandung, West Java.
Kopassus' Group IV for intelligence operations and Group V for antiterrorist operations are both based in Cijantung, East Jakarta.
Before the reorganization, Kopassus was divided into three groups plus the Detachment '81, which was considered the most elite unit within Kopassus. (imn)