Lampung military denies allowing training for militias

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.