Lampung military denies allowing training for militias

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Lampung Military Resort Commander Brig. Gen. Chairuddin Aziz denied on Wednesday that he had given permission to a militia group called Ratra to conduct military training.

Chairuddin said civilian groups were allowed to conduct basic military training, such as marching rehearsals, as long as they did not disrupt public security and order.

"I don't know yet if this group (Ratra) is really conducting military training as the press reports," Chairuddin said on Tuesday.

He said that his office had not given permission for Ratra to conduct basic military training. "But one thing is certain, and that is civilians are not allowed to conduct military training, whatever the reason might be," he said.

The Ratra militia was set up by the People's First Party (Pura) in July, with Pura chairman Hendry Koestomo serving as the armed group's supreme commander.

Local authorities have questioned 12 Ratra members for their involvement in a military-style exercise on Tuesday night in Gunung Balau subdistrict, Panjang district. They were also arrested for possessing sickles, swords and hoes.

Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. Sugiri said that civilians could not do any exercises that could lead to military power.

Meanwhile, Ratra Regiment spokesman Muslim denied reports of a military exercise involving his militiamen.

"We just do basic military exercises, like marching rehearsals, and lecture on the values of Pancasila and the Constitution. We don't have any particular goal or intention to create chaos," he said.

Muslim said that the group had yet to submit a written proposal for the exercise either to the provincial police or to the resort military command about its activities.

"We just report to them in person because it takes a lot of paperwork to submit a written proposal," he said.

Chairuddin said Lampung was geographically a strategic place to transit during trips and a sanctuary for criminals hiding from security officials.

"This condition should be kept under observation, understood, and anticipated so that we can quickly find preventive action," Chairuddin said.

Lampung was notorious as a base for armed militia during the New Order. One of the militia groups was the Jamaah Warsidi Movement in 1989, which built their Muslim village in Talangsari village, Rajabasa Lama village, in the East Lampung's district of Way Jepara.

Warsidi and 100 of his militiamen died in the 1989 clash with Danrem Black Garuda, led by Let. Col. Hendropriyono.